The Darkness Among Us
by iJMar
Summary: Sequel to Under My Skin - Two week post all the mess that Jennifer caused, the teenagers are slowly struggling to find their way back into normal lives. Eva Davis, however, is still caught in the aftermath of the mess she'd caused. Despite the calm that came over Beacon Hills, no one is aware of the darkness that will brew a completely different new kind of storm.
1. A New Abnormal

**A/N:**

**Yes, this is what you've all been waiting to read (or what I've been waiting to post) - the sequel to Under My Skin. As I previously posted and mentioned, this story's plotline is spun out of my imagination BASED on 3B. Also, the story's rating changed from T to M as there will be triggering contents in future chapters. I will make sure to add astrexis before any content I deem triggering and give a heads up every author's note. **

**Another thing, seeing as I've already started the academic year, I will do my very best to post a chapter per week, it's going to be hard but I'll do my best. Don't worry though, I have no plans whatsoever of forgetting about my story. I love it too much.**

**Trigger Warnings: Depression (Please don't feel offended if I didn't write or describe it accurately. I tried my best google it and describe it as best as I could, I am no psychologist after all)**

**Please, please, pretty please do NOT forget to post your reviews! I know the story has a fair share of readers but little review but you guys have no idea what your opinions do for me. They really make me happy - whether you guys fangirl or offer constructive criticism, I would love BOTH. Now, I'll shut up. You guys enjoy, and TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK!**

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><p>Stiles was running late for school, and he kept cursing all the way for waking up late and missing out on checking on Eva.<p>

It had been two weeks since it had all happened. The town was still recovering from the people that had died, but it seemed well on its way on putting it all behind. However, Stiles couldn't say the same for Eva. After her mother's funeral, Eva rarely ever left the apartment unless it was for follow up appointments or the walks she was now required to do every day to recover and strengthen her body. She refused to talk to therapists, to her father, and even to him.

Stiles couldn't blame her – what Eva had went through wasn't something anyone should ever go through, but the way she acted, the way she behaved – he just couldn't help but worry. She was sinking and he couldn't tow her back, and he had no idea what to do.

"_So um, I gotta go back to school starting tomorrow." Stiles started as he sat beside Eva on her bed, brushing her hair back gently as he stared down at her. Her eyes stared off blankly at the covers, and Stiles frowned, "I can bring you the homework and papers we get to keep you in the loop if you want."_

"_Yeah, that would be great." She whispered, and Stiles tasted that familiar weight in her voice. The heavy tone of sadness that sent tremors through his body._

_Stiles' eyes drifted to the nightstand before he took a deep breath, "Did you take your night dose yet?" _

"_Not yet." She mumbled and flickered her gaze up to his, before she pushed herself up onto her elbow to start sitting up. Stiles hurried to help her when he saw her wince, "Here, here." He whispered as he helped her sit up and propelled the pillow behind her back, before he scooted closer so he could take a good look at her face. He ran the pad of his thumb underneath her eyes gently, before tracing it over her cheek and smiling briefly, "You got your color back."_

_And Stiles only said that because after the…attack, Eva had lost massive amounts of blood that rendered her pale for days. Stiles hovered around her before and after the funeral, too scared that she might drop dead any minute._

_The memory of Eva's lifeless body in his arms still haunted Stiles. But he never told her that. As a matter of fact, Eva had no recollection of being dead, or at least so far that's what he believed. He didn't talk to her about that night except once, and it wasn't directly to her either – it was him repeating the story he'd told the cops so she could know exactly what to tell them when they questioned her._

_But he could still remember that night very clearly, and sometimes he wished he didn't. He remembered the tremor of pain that ran through her body, the gasps for breath, the whimpers of fear – he remembered her blood escaping past his hands, so warm against them as he tried to keep her alive long enough. And every time he closed his eyes it played out before him again. A recurring nightmare, but not one that had him wake up screaming, because when he texted Eva at 3 am, she texted right back. Every time._

_Eva smiled at him sadly – at least that was the closest hint of a smile Stiles had managed to get out of her for a while now. He took a deep breath before he edged towards the nightstand to take out her medication, having already memorized her prescription. Stiles handed her the pills in the small cup they kept on the nightstand just for that before he held out the glass of water._

_He saw the slight wince when she'd set the glass aside and pulled his brows together in concern, his teeth biting onto his lower lip, "Does it still hurt?"_

_He asked her that question almost every time they were together. _Does it still hurt? _He'd ask. And she'd always answer, _Everything hurts.

"_Physically." She mumbled before she gave off a slight bob of her head, and Stiles sat straight at the change of attitude. "I still feel like everything is not in its right place." She started and shrugged a little, "I wouldn't mind to sleep without feeling my stomach was going to fall out of my ass."_

_Stiles let his head hang over his chest as a slight small stretched onto his lips. There she went again, diverting the question with yet a new technique. He reached out the scratch the back of his head before he pursed his lips, "When did you get so sarcastic?"_

"_I'm dating you, aren't I?" Eva answered, and this time he saw a flicker of the old Eva, the one that didn't seem so broken or so lost. Or so sad._

_Stiles' eyes drifted down to her hand, before he took it within his. He traced his finger over her palm, before the pads of his fingers moved along her wrist to toy with the rubber band he'd given her, and he smiled a bit. "You need to get better so I can spoil you." Stiles started as he looked up at her, and Eva let out a chuckle, before it trailed off into the morose air that seemed to surround her like an aura lately._

"_Because," Stiles started as he glanced back at his backpack, "I'm going to spoil you anyways." _

_Stiles brought his backpack onto his lap and dug through it before he brought out a small box and then turned to Eva, and he smiled, "You've been through a lot." He started, "We've been through a lot. But you're strong. You helped me fight my own monsters and kept me down to earth and I'm willing to do the same for you so here." Stiles finished as he opened the box and Eva's eyes flickered down to the necklace inside it. _

_It was a beautiful necklace. An infinity on one end and a small anchor dangling through it on the other. Eva's eyes flickered up to Stiles', and his heart sunk when he saw the expression on her face, "I don't deserve that." She started and shook her head slowly. "It's too much."_

"_It really wasn't, Eva." Stiles started hesitantly, "It didn't cost that much."_

"_It's not the money, but it looks like it cost a lot by the way." Eva started, before she took the box from Stiles and closed it gently, "I am not ready to accept this. And I don't think I'll ever be, Stiles. Let's just leave it at that."_

_Stiles stared at her for a long minute before he swallowed thickly and took a deep breath, "Eva, what happened-"_

"_I don't care if it was my fault or not." Eva whispered, "If you're going to keep talking about it then please just leave." Eva looked up at him, and her hazel hues held a sorrow that made him think twice before he said anything. Eventually, Stiles chewed on his lower lip and reached forward to open the first drawer on her nightstand and gently tugged the box from her hold to place it in the drawer and close it. "I don't want to leave."_

_Eva pursed her lips and sighed, "Will you hold me till I fall asleep?"_

_Stiles smiled weakly at her as he kicked off his shoes and crawled onto the bed beside her, helping her sink into the mattress so he could wrap his arm around her and pull her into his chest. When Eva had asked him to do that the first time, back at the hospital, he became a mess of stutters and nervous jitters as he climbed beside her. That was the closest Stiles had ever been to a girl that he cared about so much, but when he'd finally settled and when she'd finally fallen asleep, Stiles felt like he'd done the greatest thing in the world. And somehow he did. He made her feel safe._

_Stiles' eyes flickered across the room so he wouldn't fall asleep himself. He knew Eva's father had accepted the fact that he was Eva's boyfriend, but he did catch him holding her like this and the man didn't seem so keen on the closeness between them. _

"_Do you have nightmares?" She whispered, and when Stiles looked down at her, her eyes were still closed. "I didn't see what happened that night, you know. It came up behind me. But you did…so do you have nightmares?"_

_Stiles stared down at her, blinking as he contemplated his answer. If he said yes, she'd feel guilty and blame herself about it. If he said no, she'd probably feel unimportant to him. And she'd know he was lying. Sure, Stiles had his own version of a goodnight's sleep but ever since Scott was bitten even that had to be tattered with a few nightmares here and there._

"_I'm sorry." She whispered, and Stiles' focus flickered back to her again when he noticed the tears glistening on her lashes. Stiles sighed heavily as he leaned down to press his lips to the top of her head, and remain still so she could at least get some peace of mind._

"Allison!" Stiles called out as he caught up to the brunette when she closed her locker, "Hey."

"Hey," Allison turned to him with a creased forehead, "You didn't show up this morning."

"I…I overslept. How is she?" Stiles asked as he trudged alongside her, their steps quick to catch their classes since the bell was seconds away from ringing.

"Her dad says she doesn't eat very well, and now she doesn't even want to go to the doctor's appointments." Allison whispered as she shook her head slowly, "I mean I managed to get a few spoonfuls of cheerios in there but she lost her appetite too fast. I really think she should see someone, Stiles."

"I know that." Stiles sighed, frustrated, as he pinched the bridge of his nose and stopped in the middle of the hallway when he realized he passed the door to the biology lab, "Look, I'll catch up to you later." He told her and smiled gratefully before they both hurried off. Once Stiles arrived and slid into his seat, his eyes flickered sideways to the empty seat beside his, and he heaved a longing sigh. He missed Eva.

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><p>Eva sat cooped up in her room in the apartment she'd moved in very recently with her father. She still wasn't used too it – it wasn't her home. Then again, was there ever going to be a place for Eva that she could call home?<p>

Eva's mind always managed to fabricate the darkest of thoughts. It was like every bone in her body was now deep-set with this coldness that framed her into this person she has become. This sad, aimless person. This sad, aimless, _powerful _person.

"_I'm not going to go see a therapist, Dad." Eva told her father as she shook her head furiously from where she lied on the bed. _

"_Eva, you've barely left the house for over a week now. Honey, I know you're mourning, but you need to get out. The doctor said the fresh air would be good for you. You need to go out there so you could get better." Her father protested, before he glanced back when the doorbell rang. Eva lifted a brow when he hurried off to open the door, and she slowly pushed herself out of the bed._

_She stood up slowly and peered into the hallway, her eyes widening in disbelief when she saw Stiles, and she turned to her father in aggravation, "Dad, you can't just call Stiles whenever I veto one of your suggestions! He has a life too, you know." _

"_He seems to be the only one who can get through to you, so if calling him every time you shoot down something that's good for your health will get some sense into you then I'll do it." Her father said defiantly, crossing his arms over his chest._

_Stiles stepped hesitantly into the room and frowned as his eyes flickered over her figure, "You look exhausted."_

"_I am exhausted. I'm exhausted of saying that I'm fine over and over again." Eva sighed heavily as she wrapped one arm around her torso, pressed gently against her bandaged wound as she walked away from them._

"_Eva, can you please sit down? You know your dad's right. You're barely eating, I can see-"_

"_I said I'm not going to see any god damn shrinks!" Eva exclaimed as she whirled around quickly, and as if on cue the light bulbs exploded as did the window, the glass shattering into the room. Stiles held his arms over his head, and when his eyes flickered upward to Eva he saw the flicker of silver fade from her eyes just as the trickle of crimson blood appeared underneath her nose, and she swayed._

_Stiles quickly hurried towards her to catch her weakened figure, and his eyes flickered up to her father, who hurried over to pick up a slightly disorient Eva and lay her down on the bed again. Stiles reached for the tissue box on the nightstand then pressed the tissue against her nose gently, finally letting go when Eva grabbed the tissue and tilted her head back against the headboard._

"_If you won't go see a therapist then at least talk to Deaton about this." Stiles whispered when he felt Eva's father nudge his shoulder, and Eva slowly fluttered her eyes open to look at Stiles. "You need to learn to control…this power, Eva." Stiles' voice fell as did his gaze._

"_You want me to learn to control the power I earned from eleven sacrifices my aunt ever so mercilessly made?" Eva started before she swallowed thickly and shook her head, "I don't want to control it. I'll be damned if I used it. It would as if I'd killed them myself, which is really no big deal since I did kill two of them."_

"_Eva-" Her father started in protest._

"_No, Dad, really. What do you expect me to tell a therapist? I was possessed by my aunt who by the way is the reason nine people died, and killed two more, including my own mother, before some demon warrior stabbed me and almost killed me?" Eva lifted a brow as she looked up at her father, "I'm fine. And both of you need to leave."_

"_You don't mean-" Stiles looked up at her in alarm._

"_Both of you, yes Stiles. You two seem so keen on getting me to talk to people I don't want to talk to but I am fine!" Eva exclaimed yet again and winced as she looked down at her side, "Just please leave me alone." She whispered as she sank into her bed and carefully turned away from them. Stiles' eyes flickered up to her father's face before they both sighed, and left the room._

Eva knew what power she had now. She was the next druid in the Baccari bloodline and all the power her mother and her aunt possessed now belonged to her. All the lives that her aunt took, that she took, were running in her veins, fuel to a fire she didn't even want to start. But it was so easy to strike a match against that fuel. Whenever she got upset or angry, something would happen. Windows breaking, light bulbs bursting, things randomly bursting into flames. It was a horror movie coming to life and Eva hated it.

The worst part was when one of those little outbursts happened. It would always feel like someone had sucked all the energy out of her and left her swaying on her own feet. The surges of power left her in gusts and when they returned it was as if they punched her in the chest. Sometimes they knocked the breath out of her and sometimes she passed out. Best case scenarios were nosebleeds, really.

The power she had now scared her more than anything. It was a power that was born out of darkness. And Eva didn't want to learn to control it, because she didn't want to learn how to use it. She had enough darkness in her heart. And part of her, the part that felt that she deserved punishment and retribution, even sometimes enjoyed the aftermaths of those surges of power. It was sick and twisted, but it was as if she was being punished for being what she was and Eva knew, or felt, that she deserved it at least.

"Sweetheart," She heard her father's voice behind her door, "Are you ready for your follow up appointment?"

"Yeah. I'll um…be out in a second." She whispered before her eyes drifted to the nightstand. There it was, the photo Stiles had seen on her dresser on Valentine's. Her aunt and her mother's faces stared at her with complete joy, as if the world they lived in wasn't filled with monsters and bad intentions. And just staring at it made Eva want to curl up and cry.

But for now she just settled for being numb.

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><p>Stiles sighed heavily as he slammed his locker shut and sat down to put on his shoes. Today were try outs for the lacrosse team, and…well, he <em>was <em>looking forward to them, what with being literally the reason they won the state championship last season. Now he just looked at lacrosse as something to distract him from all the darkness that hung around them. And he almost felt guilty for wanting to get away from it all but he just needed it.

"Hey, man." Scott clapped his shoulder gently as he turned to him and pressed his lips into a thin line. Stiles looked up at him and took a deep breath, "Hey, get that face off your…face. Just smile, alright. You're going to be captain now so you better give me a good position." Stiles lifted both brows and watched as Scott laughed and shook his head once.

Stiles stood up slowly and patted Scott's shoulder as they both started making their way out of the locker room, "So how are things with you and Kira?" Stiles started.

"Um," Scott started and he shrugged once, "We're not…a thing yet…" Scott glanced sideways at Stiles who rolled his eyes once. "Why haven't you asked her out yet?"

"I did ask her out." Scott nodded eagerly, and Stiles lifted a brow. "Well?"

"Dude, we went to see a movie and I hugged her." Scott finally exhaled in defeat, throwing his arms in the air, "I _hugged _her."

Stiles stared at him in sympathy, "You're off your game."

"I never had a game. I don't even know why Allison liked me."

"I'll tell you why." Stiles started as they exited the school in the field, "Because you were playing first line." Stiles ruffled Scott's hair, "Now, recommend me to our peacock of a coach, okay?"

"Your peacock of a coach makes his own decisions, Stilinski! 10 laps!" The coach announced his presence with his yelling as well as his vigorous whistle, and Stiles jumped back before he took off into a sprint around the field. "What are you waiting for? Everyone, 10 laps, NOW!" The coach whistled again and the group of teenagers that came in for tryouts fell in step with Stiles.

Stiles' eyes flickered to the bleachers where he saw Kira, Lydia, and Allison all sitting there. He Lydia blow a kiss towards Aiden, and Allison wink at Isaac from the distance, and it made his heart sink.

He really missed Eva.


	2. It's Called Silver Lining

**A/N:**

**Woot second update of the sequel! Now, I must say, it was great lots of you guys came back to read the sequel, and I even saw a couple of new follows and favs too, but I was kind of bummed out I got no reviews. As you guys can see, I'm swamped thanks to school, and I barely had time to finish this update but I did. A couple of reviews would really make the effort worthwhile :)**

**Trigger Warning: Depression (Please do not feel offended if I didn't write it or describe it correctly, I've done my best) **

**Here we go now, second chapter! **

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><p>"It's Eva's birthday this weekend and I have no idea what to do." Stiles muttered as he glanced sideways at Lydia.<p>

"Well, obviously getting her something is not working." Lydia sighed and chewed on the corner of her mouth, before she glanced sideways at Kira for some sort of help. Kira shrugged as she stared at them both, "Don't look at me, I suck at this."

"And throwing a party is just completely inappropriate." Stiles heaved out a long sigh as he scratched the back of his neck.

"But maybe it is what she needs." Lydia started as she glanced sideways at Stiles, and he blinked in pure confusion, "Maybe she needs a distraction from all of this." Lydia started and lifted both brows, "A birthday party would be perfect."

"I don't think her dad would be okay with this. I mean, all of this happened to him too." Stiles started hesitantly as he turned to Lydia with a troubled face, and Lydia's emerald hues drifted to the ground before she slammed her locker shut and grinned, "I got it. My grandmother has a lakehouse not too far from here, and I'm sure she would let us use it. My mom has the keys anyways. We can throw her a party there. This way, she'll be away from the town and get some fresh air."

Stiles stared agape at her, "Are you trying to get us killed?"

"What?" Lydia arched one delicate brow at him as they started walking towards their classes.

"Do you not watch horror movies? A bunch of teenage kids going to lakehouses to have some good time and bam!" He slammed his fist into his palm, "Some serial killer decides that it's time to kill some kids!"

Lydia lifted both brows as she stared at him before she reached out and patted his shoulder gently, "Sweetie, stop watching horror movies." She said sweetly as she turned around to leave, and Stiles stood there standing beside Kira, "I don't think a lakehouse is a good idea either." Kira started as she looked up at Stiles, "It's Beacon Hills after all. Serial killers aren't highly unlikely anymore."

"Thank you!" Stiles exclaimed as they both started walking back towards history class, and they walked in silence until Kira finally started again, "Is she okay?" Kira asked as she looked up at Stiles, who frowned and his forehead creased. "You're taking awfully too long to answer that question."

"Because I don't know if she is." Stiles breathed out helplessly as he looked down at her and shook his head slowly, "I mean, I try to visit her every day, and when I can't I try to call her or even text her before I head to bed but she's…she's not talking to me. Maybe you should talk to her." Stiles started as he looked down at Kira, "I know I'd need Scott if it was me and you two are pretty close." Stiles pointed out, and Kira's eyes drifted to the ground.

"I don't know if she'd want to talk to me." Kira shrugged a little as they lingered by the door to history class.

"Why do you think so?" Stiles frowned as he tilted his head, and Kira shook her head, "My mom brought on the oni." Kira started hesitantly.

"Eva doesn't know she died. I don't think she does." Stiles quickly hurried before Kira started again, "And even if she did know. It's not your mother's fault, I think. But it's definitely not yours, okay? Just…Eva could really use a friend." Stiles told Kira with a small smile as he headed into the class room. Kira stood there, contemplating what he'd just said, before she took a deep breath and walked into the class as well.

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><p>Stiles paced around the hallway, and Scott sighed heavily as he watched him pace around like that. "Dude, it's just lacrosse. And you're going to make the team anyways." Stiles turned to him and lifted a brow, "Dude, I know I'll make the team. Scott, we've been on the team since freshman year. The tryouts were to get us in shape and get those losers a chance to be on the team."<p>

A group of freshmen boys turned to Stiles, and Stiles saw the slight anger in their gazes, "Gonna be great to play with you guys this year." Stiles laughed nervously as he side-stepped behind Scott and sighed heavily, "Well, then what is it?" Scott asked he turned around to look at him.

"It's Eva's birthday this weekend and…Lydia had this idea. But I'm not sure about it." Stiles started as he leaned against the line of lockers, and Scott frowned as he waited for Stiles to go on, "Lydia said," Stiles started as he waved his hand in the air once, "She said we should take her to this lakehouse her grandmother has outside of town." Stiles shrugged once, "She said we could throw her a party there and she'd be far away from all of this."

"I think it's not a bad idea." Scott started hesitantly, "But do you think her dad would be okay with that? I mean would he want her out of his sight at all?"

Stiles stared at his friend for a long moment before he took a deep breath, "Right, parents."

"What were you planning on telling your dad?" Scott lifted both brows at his friend when he seemed surprised at the idea of taking permission from parents.

"I…I actually don't know, I didn't think about that." Stiles shook his head slowly as he scratched the back of his head, then he looked up at Scott, "So um, speaking of parents," Stiles started as he looked up at Scott and lifted both brows, "How are things with you and your dad?" Stiles asked and narrowed his eyes as he tilted his head, his hand pressing against his chin.

Scott frowned and shook his head once, "He showed up at the house again. He's just all about trying to get closer to me or whatever." Scott shook his head once and turned to look away.

"And?" Stiles asked, lifting a brow.

"And nothing, Stiles." Scott started defensively as he shook his head, "The guy left when my mom and I needed him the most. I have no idea why but whatever reason he has doesn't justify what he did. And mom and I are doing just fine without him anyways." Scott turned to Stiles, and Stiles had to step back momentarily. Stiles had never seen his friend so upset about something.

"Look, I'm just saying," Stiles took a deep breath as he peered up at Stiles, "He's your father." Stiles muttered, "And part of you still cares about him because he's your dad, alright."

Scott stared at his friend, his lips pressed into a thin line before he shook his head once, then turned towards the door of the coach's office when he heard him step towards it. The freshman stood alert as the coach walked into the locker room and stood at the billboard hanging there. He pinned the papers to the billboard and hurried back into the office just as the teenagers rushed into the locker room.

The already team members, the sophomores and up grades, hung behind until the freshmen got the excitements and cries of disbelief out, and once they'd flooded out of the locker room, Scott stepped towards the billboard while Stiles hung back, figuring Scott wanted to get a look at who was on his team this year.

"Hey Stiles," Scott called out, and Stiles lifted a brow before he walked into the locker room and stood behind him, his hand falling on the paper. "Wait a minute, that can't be right." Stiles whispered as he turned to Scott with wide eyes.

"We're co-captains, dude." Scott started as he held out his hand for Stiles high five. Stiles hollered in celebration as he knocked his palm against Scott's and flailed his arms in the air. Scott stood back, his arms crossed over his chest as he watched his friend do a little victory dance.

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><p>Eva was sitting on her bed – but not underneath the covers. She was sick of just lying underneath them, being all sick and injured. But she still didn't feel like going out. She didn't want to move, or talk, and sometimes she felt like she didn't want to breathe. It actually wasn't a choice. Eva more often felt like she was being suffocated. She felt this sadness just make her want to stop taking in air into her body, and it made it even worse that breathing made her wounds ache somewhat.<p>

But the weight didn't go away. It was like someone was drowning her – and Eva knew exactly how it was like to be drowning. She remembered it vividly as if it were yesterday. She was six years old, and they'd been at the lake her mother loved to be at so much. She remembered tripping over the edge of the pier and falling into the water. She remembered kicking her feet against the water to try and keep herself up, but it was as if something was pulling her down, and she kept sinking – but she was trying to claw her way up, she didn't give up, not when her head felt like it was going to explode and her lungs burned for air.

Then of course her dad had pulled her out of the water.

But Eva wasn't so sure if anyone could pull her out now. Part of her was terrified that the feeling she had wasn't just sadness – she was afraid it was her becoming…darker.

She realized that druids became darachs when they sought out power in some sort of illegal way, breaking the big druid rule of maintaining the balance of nature. But Eva didn't ask for that power and she didn't want it, but she had it, and she knew that having so much power messed with the balance.

Eva glanced back at the drawer that she didn't dare to open, the one by her dresser, and she frowned. The grimoire was in there and Eva couldn't bring herself to move or get up to open it to seek any sort of information that would guide. She remembered the last time she'd sat down with that book open in front of her.

_Eva laid on her stomach on her bed, the grimoire opened in front of her, her hands resting against her cheeks as she went over the freshly translated words. Her eyes were trying to digest one of the harder aspects of being a druid, channeling power. She knew druids could manipulate things and use forces to their aid. But channeling was the hard part – to draw on the energy of these objects to do something…difficult. Like going into someone's mind for example._

_She heard a knock on her door and looked up when she saw her mother linger in the doorway and smile at her, "I made you a snack." She started as she walked in and held up a bowl of cereal. Eva couldn't help but laugh a little as she pushed herself up on the bed, "Mom, it's 8 pm. You can't make cereal at night."_

"_That's just foodist. Who said cereal can't be night time food?" The woman quirked a brow at her daughter as she set the bowl of cereal on the nightstand and moved to sit down beside her daughter. Once the laughter and the joking died, the uneasy air between the two of them returned._

"_Mom," Eva started hesitantly as she looked up at her mother and took a deep breath, her lips slack as she tried to put her thoughts into worlds, but eventually ended up blurting out this, "How did I remember those Gaelic words back at the clinic?"_

_The hopeful look that was on Eva's mother's face fell before she quickly regained composure and smiled at her daughter, "Druids are born with it – the language. The power. You just need to believe in it so you can use it." Her mother said and Eva chewed on the inside of her cheek before she looked at the book again, "When did you…start using your powers?" _

"_When I was ten." Her mother sighed out as she looked down at the mattress, "Trust me, honey, the plan was to tell you everything and teach you everything but after what happened with your aunt. I feared for you. I feared the alpha pack would come for you – you were too young and I needed to protect you."_

"_But you let me believe that she was this good person that I looked up to this whole time." Eva protested in a somewhat sad tone, and Maria scooted closer to her daughter to brush her hair gently out of her face, "I couldn't rip your world away from you like that, especially after you were so broken after…when you thought she died."_

_Eva's eyes flickered up to her mother's and the woman saw the tears well up in her daughter's eyes. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you any sooner, sweetie. I just didn't know the amount of damage it would cause and I couldn't risk hurting you like that."_

_Eva sighed heavily as she blinked away her tears, and her mother sighed as she wiped away her daughter's tears. Eva eventually caved in and sat up to hug her mother. It was curt and awkward but it was the closest they'd ever gotten in a while now. Eva eventually sniffled as she pulled away before she scratched the back of her head. _

"_You know, once you're sleeping better and your mind is clearer, I'm going to teach you how to do that." Her mother said as she gestured to the page Eva was just reading, "It's going to be fun. I remember how many glasses and bottles I've broken when my mother was teaching me."_

"_You used to break stuff with grandma?" Eva lifted a curious brow as she tried to imagine it. _

"_Oh yes, it's the only way you could learn." Maria laughed as she brushed Eva's hair back and stood up, "Eat your snack and try to sleep a little tonight, okay?" The woman started as she headed towards the door._

"_Mom." Eva sat up a little before her mother left the room, and she pursed her lips into a small smile when her mother turned back to her, "I love you." Eva nodded once and her mother smiled back at her as she nodded once, "I love you too, sweetheart." Her mother finally said before she left the room._

Eva didn't even realize she was sobbing until she heard the knock on the door, and she quickly wiped away her tears and tried to swallow down her sobs as her blurred vision drifted to the sketch of her mother that was now tarnished with her tears. She tossed the sketchbook away and reached for a tissue from the nightstand, "Come in!" She called out, expecting Stiles to be behind the door since he made sure to come by every day after school.

But she was surprised when she saw Kira.

Kira hadn't exactly been a frequent visitor since the funeral, and Eva wasn't sure why, whether it be something that Kira felt, or something that Kira's mother said. Eva realized she hadn't thought too much about Kira being missing and she felt somewhat guilty – because with all that Kira just found out about her own mother now she must feel just as confused and betrayed as Eva used to feel. It was something else to feel guilty about , and it made the sadness pull her down even more, make her lungs ache even more with every breath she took.

"Are you okay?" Kira asked, alarmed, when she saw her friend's face as she walked in and closed the door. Eva quickly wiped away her tears and nodded once, "I'm fine." She whispered and looked up at Kira who sat by the edge of Eva's bed and looked down, "I'm sorry I didn't visit more."

"It's okay." Eva told her hesitantly, "No, no, it's not." Kira started as she looked back at her friend. "You're my best friend, Eva. Actually, I've had a lot of best friends but you're the one I actually felt like my actual sister and we've known each other for like what? A couple of months?" Kira started and Eva pursed her lips as she watched Kira ramble on, "The point is, I should have visited you more. I just…I just didn't know how you'd feel when my mom was the one who summoned the Oni and why you got hurt…"

"Kira…" Eva sighed as she reached out to press her hand against Kira's shoulder gently, "Your mom saved us all." Eva started as she pursed her lips, "Just imagine if Julia did what she wanted to do. Derek would have been dead…that…evil kitsune would have been free and Julia would have been free too and it would have been horrible." Eva shook her head slowly, although she was speaking through her teeth, forcing herself to say what she knew would make her friend feel better, she was saying it. Because Eva knew she was right. Sure she was sad, but wasn't dumb.

Kira frowned as she looked back at her and pursed her lips, before she turned fully to tuck her legs underneath her body and reach out to hold Eva's hand within hers, "I just don't want to lose you."

"You won't." Eva shook her head slowly, "You won't lose me."

Kira chewed on the inside of her cheek before she took a deep breath, "So how are you?"

Eva pursed her lips and shook her head once, "I'm…I'm fine, I guess."

"You know you can talk to me, right?" Kira started as she lifted both brows, trying to urge her friend into telling her what was on her mind.

Eva was hesitant – she didn't know how to tell Kira this, but she felt like the only person she could share this was Kira, "Your….mom," Eva started hesitantly as she looked up at Kira, "She controls the Oni, right? She can summon them to wherever she wants, right?"

Kira frowned and nodded slowly, "Why?"

Eva looked down, "Because I've been feeling…." Eva paused, trying to search for the right word to describe how she felt. "I've been feeling dark."

Kira sat up, alarmed, and shook her head, her eyes speaking out one question, _how?_

"You know that…all the sacrifices Julia made…that I have the power from them now, right?" Eva whispered hesitantly, "And I can't control it. Sometimes it's…it just happens. I'm just scared that the way I came to have those powers could affect who I am somehow." Eva whispered and Kira watched as she spoke, before it dawned upon her what Eva had inquired before. "You want the Oni to check you." Kira muttered, and Eva looked up at her to nod slowly.

Kira bit onto her lower lip and shook her head slowly, "That will not sit well with Stiles."

"That's why we won't tell him." Eva started, "Your mom can call them off if something's wrong, right? It's not such a risk. Come on, Kira. I need this…" Eva begged a little as she reached out to grip Kira's hand, "Please."

Kira took a deep breath as she stared at Eva, before she nodded slowly, "Okay." She started hesitantly, "Okay, but Eva, I swear if something happens to you, I'll kill you."

"Okay." Eva breathed out a weak laugh before she moved to get up, "Do you need help?" Kira started as she reached out to hold her hand underneath Eva's elbows. "I'm fine. Let me do this, okay?" Eva started as she glanced sideways at her friend. "I'll just change into something."

"What about your dad?" Kira asked as she tilted her head.

"We'll just tell him I'm going on a walk with you." Eva started as she walked towards the wardrobe to drag out something to wear, "He'll be all excited I even agreed to go out on a walk."

"Shouldn't you be walking every day?" Kira lifted a brow at her friend as she crossed her arms over her chest, and she shook her head once when Eva dodged the question with a shrug, "I think I'll come over more often." Kira nodded once as she narrowed her eyes, before she hurried to steady Eva when the girl almost lost her balance tugging off her shorts and changed into a pair of jogging pants.

Kira stepped back as Eva turned around to shrug out of her shirt and put on a bra, and she frowned where she saw the healed stab wound scar – and the lines that webbed around it, embedded into Eva's skin, and stretching up to end just underneath her shoulder blade and by the small of her back. Kira turned away and frowned until Eva was done changing before she held her hand out for Eva to take, "Come on."

Kira was surprised at how steady Eva walked beside her into the living room, where her father sat on the couch, going over papers that were scattered all over the coffee table, "Dad," Eva announced and blinked once when her dad looked up at her, and tilted his head, "I'm going for a walk with Kira."

"You are?" Her dad asked, lifting both brows in surprise, and Eva had to roll her eyes once before she nodded once. "Do you have your phone with you? Did you take your medication?"

"Yes, dad." Eva nodded again, and Kira stood there, somewhat fidgeting as she waited for the confrontation to end.

Her dad seemed hesitant before he eventually took a deep breath and nodded once, "Alright, fine." He sighed as he got up, "Please be careful." He told Eva, then he turned to Kira who nodded quickly, "I promise you Mr. Davis she'll be fine with me." Kira hurried, her voice getting higher as she got even more nervous. The man eventually nodded in defeat despite the fact that he eyed Kira, and he held the door open for them.

Once Kira had helped Eva into the passenger side seat of her car and got into her own side of her car, Eva turned to her and lifted both brows, "You're such a bad liar."

"I'm sorry, I freaked out! He knew something was up!" Kira's eyes widened and Eva couldn't help but press her lips into a hard line to keep herself from laughing, before she shook her head once, "Just go, Kira."

It wasn't a long way to Kira's house – but it seemed like forever till the two of them had finally gotten there. Kira held Eva's hand tightly as they walked, and she glanced around in search for her mother, "Mom?"

"Kira." Her mother walked out from the hallway, her eyes flickering sideways to Eva, before she turned to her daughter, "Why is she here?"

"I want your Oni to make sure I'm myself." Eva started defiantly as she demanded the woman's attention.

"Why do you want that?" The woman asked as she stepped towards the two girls, and Kira felt the need to step in front of her friend defensively when she saw the look in her mother's eyes, and she frowned. "Because she wants to know if she's herself, Mom." Kira whispered in her friend's defense as she narrowed her eyes, "How clear can she be?"

"You feel the darkness around your heart, one left from the darkness of your own blood." Noshiko aptly ignored her daughter's bitterness and focused on Eva instead, who nodded slowly.

"Very well then." Noshiko seemed to agree too awfully quickly, and Eva lifted a brow as she stared at her – part of her wondering if the woman actually knew something. Eva saw the shadows form behind her, and she had to look at the window – she could have sworn it was light outside. She thought she had at least a few minutes to get herself ready, but when she turned back to Kira's mom, two of the Oni were standing behind her.

Kira looked back at Eva before she stepped sideways and let go of her hand, her gaze flickering in worry between Eva the one Oni that stepped forward towards her.

Eva gulped as her gaze flickered up to the dark figure that hovered above her, and she struggled to suppress her gasp when it reached forward to grab the back of her head, its thumb pressing behind her ear. The dull yellows held Eva's gaze and struck a coldness in her frame that made her feel almost hollow, numb – and it was almost the best way she'd ever felt since the funeral.

But when it let her go with a burning behind her ear, Eva realized she had no more energy to keep herself up on her feet anymore, nor had she any energy to keep her eyes open or her brain alert. It felt like she was being sucked down – it felt like she was drowning.

And as she collapsed to the ground everything melted into darkness.


	3. When All Is Lost

**A/N:**

**Yup, I'm still alive - studying my ass off for SAT's next week but still alive! I haven't updated as fast I'd hoped to but I had time to finish Under My Skin's playlist and Steva's first playlist, so make sure to check the under my skin tag on my tumblr, and tell me what you guys think! My 8tracks account is leighale, that was they're easier to find. Also, I've just been introduced into making moodboards and it's so fun, so I'll be posting a couple of those on my tumblr as well.**

**So, back to business, you guys, I could really, really use the reviews. You can't imagine how happy they make me. I mean, thanks so much to bluepenquin1998 for her amazing reviews, they really made my day, and I really, really can't wait to see more of those!**

**Trigger Warning: Depression (Please do not feel offended if I didn't write or describe it correctly)**

**Alright - enjoy! And review! **

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><p>Eva couldn't move.<p>

Actually she could – but she had so little space. She was still disoriented, but she knew someone had wrapped her up tightly in blankets. Her head hurt a little, at some point she felt a slight burn behind her ear, her chest ached a little, but it wasn't something she wasn't too familiar with by now. However, she was very bothered by how little she could move in her blanket cocoon.

It took her a while to actually remember what happened. Her mind was blank until it wasn't, and everything before she blacked out played out in fast forward before it played out slowly in her head. That's when her head cleared out, and once she managed to get the confusion of wanting to know what had happened was cleared out, she could hear a muffled argument going on. The original reason why she'd stirred awake, possibly?

"She could've have gotten hurt, Kira!" Stiles' voice boomed as he paced around the exam room Scott's mom managed to have Eva placed in, "It's not good for her to fall!"

"I tried my best to break her fall." Kira protested, but the argument in her voice wasn't as strong as the reproach that pressed there.

"What if they'd done something to her, Kira? Don't you remember what happened when one those things got that close to Eva?" Stiles breathed out before he glanced back at Eva, who was still unconscious. Stiles was working on his homework, trying to get done with all of it quickly so he could get a chance to visit Eva and spend some time with her that day. Instead, he got a phone call from Kira, telling him exactly what had happened.

Of course Stiles had to refrain from yelling at Kira – even though he wanted to. Even though every cell in his body wanted to lament her for her poor judgment. Instead he urged Kira to take her to a hospital so he could meet them there. The doctor said she'd gotten a bit too cold, and worried that it was something with her heart, but Stiles & Kira knew why she was so cold. And they needed to wait for her to warm up first before the doctor could decide whether she would leave or not.

Eventually, Eva wriggled in her blankets and frowned as she fluttered her eyes open, turning her eyes away from the light.

"Hey there." Stiles' voice fell to a soft whisper as his hand brushed her hair back, his other hand run gently over her cheek. "You're warming up, thank god." Stiles sighed, relieved, before he watched her open her eyes slowly and look up at him. "Why'd you do that?" Stiles shook his head slowly as he stroke the top of her head gently, and Eva swallowed thickly as she attempted to shrug. "You broke the promise." Stiles pointed out, and Eva felt herself heave a soft sigh.

_Eva spent the whole day getting ready for discharge. She woke up early and showered – of course, Kira & Allison helped her since every move made her whole body ache. But then again, the fact that she was up and awake, breathing, while her mother was very much a pile of ash right now just seemed to form a gaping hole in Eva's chest. The pain almost became overwhelming to the extent that it left her numb._

_She heard a knock on the door and lazily lifted her gaze from the ground – a part of her feeling a sliver of comfort when she'd seen Stiles open the door and peek into the room, "Hey, girlfriend." Stiles greeted, his lips pressed into a small smile. Eva let out a small gush of air, a weak attempt of chuckle, before she winced, and Stiles sighed heavily. He walked towards the bed and sat at its edge beside her, "How are you feeling?"_

_Eva glanced sideways at Stiles and shook her head slowly, preferring to stay silence, having no energy to put up a façade or pretend that she'll be fine because she didn't actually know that._

_Stiles chewed on the corner of his mouth – he was never one to be good at offering comfort. Or at least, that's what he thought. Heck, he even hated it when people smothered him because of the panic attacks he used to get, sometimes still does get. But he sat there, not really knowing what to say or do to make Eva feel better, or even feel anything. She's been refusing to talk to any psychiatrists the hospital's sent her way, and she seemed to be having a hard time talking at all. The doctor seemed to worry that she might get depressed, and the thought alone terrified Stiles, because if she sunk that far down, he didn't know if he could help her._

"_We're going to live in the same building Allison & her dad live in." Eva whispered, and Stiles' eyes flickered to her face before he nodded quickly, "Yeah…it's a bit further away from my house but I'll still come over whenever I can." Stiles started with a small smile. Of course, the idea of going back to their house was impossibility to Eva's father, as well as Eva. Allison's father had mentioned something about an apartment for rent in their building to Allison, who told Eva's father. And it seemed to work out perfectly afterwards. The apartment complex seemed to pick up a theme of teenage girls with psychopath aunts and dead mothers._

"_You don't have to do that." Eva started and shook her head as she turned to him. Stiles frowned and tilted his head some, "Don't have to do what?"_

"_Be…a supportive boyfriend." Eva shook her head slowly, "We haven't even had an official first date. You don't have to always be here."_

_Stiles blinked in surprise – is that why she thought he was around? Because he felt like he had to? "Eva…" Stiles started slowly as he turned to her and shook his head, "I care about you. I don't know why this comes as such a surprise to you but I care about you. No matter what happened. No matter what we've found out. You're still Eva Davis. You're still the girl I met that day in history class. You're still that artistic, sweet, and kind of weird person I've always known. Whatever you're going through, I'll go through it with you." Stiles babbled, quiet surprised when the words seemed to leave his lips in perfect harmony, nothing straying into his usual inappropriate remarks. _

_But when Eva didn't turn to look up at him, Stiles took a deep breath and reached down to take her hand gently in his, minding the spot where the IV used to be in, "But if you feel like…you can't do this relationship thing, that's okay. I just want to be here for you, no matter what way that is."_

_Eva pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes in thought, "You don't have to decide now." Stiles started quickly, but Eva shook her head. "I know…" She started hesitantly, "This makes me sound pathetic. And it makes me out like that girl that can't survive without having a guy in her life…but…" Eva shook her head slowly, "Everything is falling apart around. I need…I need something stable. I need…an anchor." Eva glanced sideways at Stiles, and Stiles felt his heart skip a beat. _

"_I'll be whatever you need." He told her as he reached out to brush his thumb against her supple cheek gently, wiping away that stray tear. Eva nodded slowly, and Stiles smiled at her briefly, the corners of his lips tugging upwards somewhat into a gentle smile. "Thank you." Eva whispered, and Stiles could have sworn he'd seen a hint of a smile on her face, before he pulled his brows together again, "But you have to promise me something." He started, and Eva blinked, drawn out for a minute of her morose cloud into one of confusion._

"_Enough with the hospital trips, okay?" Stiles started and lifted both brows, "No more. Not even to visit Scott's mom. I don't even know why you would do that but still. Promise me, no more." Then Stiles realized what he'd just said, and his face drained of color when his eyes inspected Eva's face in concern, hoping mentioning Scott's mother didn't pour salt into her still very open wounds._

"_I promise." Eva eventually nodded slowly, and Stiles sighed, relieved, before he held her hand gently in his and ran his thumb over the back of her hand._

"I had to make sure." Eva whispered, and Stiles had to chew on his lower lip and straighten up, his hands balled into fists, so he wouldn't have another outburst at her. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, "Okay. We'll talk about this later." Stiles breathed out again once he'd managed to calm himself down, before he turned to Kira, "Look, I'm sorry I yelled at you. But I think you should go before Eva's dad gets here, okay?"

Kira's eyes flickered between Stiles and Eva who was still struggling to wake up, before she took a deep breath and sighed heavily. "Kira," Eva whispered quickly before Kira left and she pushed herself up onto her elbows to face her friend, "Thank you."

Kira smiled briefly at Eva before she turned and left the exam room. Eva swallowed thickly before she glanced around the room and frowned, "I'm at the hospital?" She lifted a brow as she tilted her head towards Stiles, who blinked once at her scrutinizing look, and threw his arms in the air, "What if something had happened to you?!"

Eva worked on disentangling herself from the blankets, trying to wiggle out of them and sit up, "Nothing happened to me, as you can see." She breathed out, before wincing when her arm tugged too hard at a blanket. Stiles quickly hurried to help her unwrap the blankets from around her before eventually, Eva was free – with only one blanket resting over her body. Stiles heaved the others and set them on the seat in the corner of the room, before turned to Eva, "How do you feel?"

"Not as cold." She muttered as she wrapped her arms around herself, then looked up at Stiles and frowned momentarily, "I'm…sorry. But I had to do this. I had to make sure."

"Make sure of what?" Stiles inquired now, only his voice was softer, as he stepped towards the bed again. Eva peered up at him through her lashes and rolled her shoulders into a shrug. "That I didn't have her darkness in me." Eva whispered, and Stiles frowned when he recalled what Kira's mother had said back at the clinic that night. How the Oni were after whose heart became too engulfed with the darkness. Stiles realized that Kira's mother must have known that this whole ordeal was unnecessary, but when he looked down at Eva – he realized that she'd openly explained what had happened to him. He realized that….maybe this helped. Somehow.

"Does it…can…do you feel any better?" Stiles frowned a little, trying to find the right words before he settled for those. Eva shrugged a little, and Stiles reached out to brush her hair behind her ear. "Do you want to talk about it?" Stiles asked, and Eva looked up at him and shook her head slowly. However, she did say something, "Can I stay at your place tonight?"

"W-what?" Stiles stuttered a little, his eyes going a bit too wide as he blinked furiously.

"I just…I don't know…." Eva started, "I'm trying to...figure out something. I don't want to be alone."

Stiles frowned as he took a deep breath as he opened his mouth to try and find a way for them to figure this out, but a knock on the door interrupted him. He glanced back when he saw Eva's father walk into the room. Stiles got up and stepped back quickly to allow the man to embrace his daughter, before he rubbed the back of his head and almost turned to leave the room.

"Stiles." Eva called out quickly as she pulled away from her dad's embrace, but Stiles frowned as he lingered by the doorway. Eva glanced sideways at her father, and deciphered the look of relief on his face, before she pursed her lips in defeat and nodded once towards Stiles. "I'll talk to you later." She whispered and Stiles smiled as he reluctantly dragged himself away from the room.

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><p>Eva was lying in her bed. The doctor had come in and checked on her, and of course, she saw Melissa lurking in the background before quickly texting someone once the doctor confirmed that Eva was fine. In the parking lot, Eva could have sworn that she'd seen Stiles jeep. But she had to shake it off and pull herself together. She could do this. She knew she was stronger than this. She'd done this before – what made it so hard now?<p>

_The weight, _Eva thought, and frowned as she tugged the blankets around her.

She feared that at first that weight that made it so hard to breathe or even – have a clear head – was just the darkness threatening to take over her. But there was no darkness. She was herself. Except she wasn't. Something was wrong.

It took Eva a whole minute of staring at the ceiling to realize what was wrong. Her mother was dead. Her aunt possessed her. She almost died. She was at the hospital. She had a surgery. And then there was a funeral.

Eva has been through all of that before, but it all seemed to hit her now, like a tidal wave. Her chest swelled as the sobs fell upon each. other. Eva pushed herself up in the bed, her chest rising and falling with every ragged breath she took. Everything that was wrong played over and over in her head. Eva's hands shaking moved over her face, covering her mouth as she shut her eyes tightly, and the sobs fell through. They wracked through her weakened frame, and Eva gasped audibly for breath before she reached for the pillow to prop it up against her knees and bury her face into it. Amongst all the grief and pain that seemed to suddenly take her by surprise after so subtly just building up inside her heart, Eva was scared. No, she was terrified. This feeling loomed about her that it wasn't the end yet.

She pushed the pillow away, and reached for her phone from the nightstand. Eva tried to stifle her whimpers as she dialed Stiles' number and held the phone up to her ear.

Stiles' was lying face down on the bed, his eyes facing the clear wall opposite from his bed. It had been a while since Stiles had any case files hanging up there – after what happened with Eva, he'd taken it all down. All of those people were victims of what her aunt did, and he knew she didn't need any reminders of that.

As if on cue, his phone buzzed against the nightstand, and Stiles frowned as he propelled himself up onto his elbow to reach out for his phone. He didn't hesitate to pick up when he saw Eva's name on the screen, and he pushed himself up. A frown etched its way onto his face when he heard the little gasps of breath, "Eva?"

"Stiles, can you come over?" Eva whimpered into the phone, and Stiles sat up quickly, his feet swinging over the edge of the bed. "Eva, what is it?"

"I just…Can you please come over?" Eva started again, her words being cut off with her gasps and sniffles, "I need to…I need to see my mom. I-I want to visit the lake."

Stiles blinked in confusion before he nodded slowly, then realized that she couldn't see him and started, "Of course. I'll be there as fast as I can. But can you please tell me what's wrong?"

"I just…I miss her." Eva whispered and Stiles felt his heart break a little before he heaved a sigh and started, "I'll be there in a minute."

Stiles reluctantly hung up and took a deep breath before he got up and glanced around his room. He looked down at himself and decided that he only needed a hoodie and sneakers and he was good to go. He didn't want to waste time, anyways. He grabbed his keys & phone before heading downstairs as quietly as he possibly could, and with surprising success managed to leave the house. Stiles looked down at his phone again and lifted both brows when he realized it was half past midnight.

It was one of those moments when he just wished his jeep could be slightly less loud. He parked in front of the apartment complex, not really minding the parking line since they were supposed to leave quickly. He called Eva again to tell her he was downstairs, expecting to meet her by the door, except she'd buzzed him in. Stiles frowned and glanced around momentarily before he hesitantly climbed out of the jeep and walked into the building.

After a short trip in the elevator to the floor Eva was on, he was surprised, and momentarily terrified, when he saw her peeking around the front door, waiting for him. "Hey…" He whispered as he stepped towards her just as she slid out of the apartment and closed the door. Stiles gazed down at her in the darkness, his eyes taking in every detail of her tear-stricken face. "What happened?"

"Everything's wrong." Eva whispered and shook her head slowly, "Everything's wrong and my mom is not here. She's dead." Eva had to refrain from talking anymore when she felt the sobs threatening to break through her lips again. Stiles quickly stepped towards her and wrapped his arms around her, "Ssh, hey, it's okay." He whispered quickly as his hands moved gently over her back, "We'll go see your mom now, okay?"

"Mhm." Eva nodded slowly and sniffled, and Stiles quietly led her out of the building and into the jeep.

Eva curled up into the seat all the way to the reserve's trail. Stiles glanced sideways at her every now and then but she made no noise, not an attempt to speak, and it hit Stiles that she didn't call him to talk, or to tell him how she felt. She wasn't getting better. She was getting worse. Stiles' eyes drifted to the windshield as they arrived towards the small lake's shore, and he turned to Eva. Her eyes had drifted too to the windshield, her eyes flickering over the waters of the lake glimmering underneath the crescent moon in the sky, before her hands reached for the door's handle and she started getting out.

Stiles followed after Eva quietly as she stumbled towards the lake's shore. He expected her to stop, but she didn't, she moved until she was ankle deep into the water, and he quickly took action, "Eva," He started as he stepped towards the lake's shore as well, his eyes flickering down to surface of the water that teased at the tips of his shoes.

"I won't go any deeper." Eva started, "I can't swim. Don't worry."

The new piece of information surprised Stiles, just as much as learning that Eva's name was actually Evangeline from her hospital records. However, knowing that she couldn't swim didn't make Stiles feel any better. "Well can you at least step back a little." Stiles started hesitantly, "I would really feel better if you're not actually in the water."

"I miss her so much." Eva whispered as her eyes drifted down to the water, almost as black as night with the soft glimmer of the crescent moon reflecting off the clear water. "I just…" Eva's voice cracked audibly, and Stiles stood there, not really knowing what to do as he watched her wrap her arms around herself. "Everything's wrong. Everything is…just…I miss her so much." She finally broke into the sobs again, and Stiles ventured into the water. He let his arm hover around her back, before he eventually sighed when she turned into him to bury her face into his chest, "I want my mom, Stiles."

Stiles felt his eyes well up with tears, before he enclosed Eva's petite frame into his arms and rested his cheek against the top of her head. He had nothing to offer her. There was nothing that he could say that could comfort her. He recalled the time he'd spent after his mother died. The nightmares, walking up and calling out for his mother before eventually crumbling into a mess – and he said those exact same words. _I want my mom._

"I know." Stiles whispered helplessly as he closed his eyes and rubbed her back. "I know."


	4. Cold Is The Water

**A/N: **

**I know, I know. I'm a horrible person for taking so long to update - but in the event that I have recently became part of an actual social life, I've been very busy. But no worries, no school or life will take me away from this story. I love it to much to give it up or stop posting anyways. Now, back to the topic of reviews - they really, really help. Constructive criticism. Compliments. Fangirling. Just holler them at me, I'll take anything. And as for the criticisim, I want to remind people that Under My Skin was completely plotted out by a friend of mine and myself before I even wrote it, and The Darkness Among Us is all me, so, no I'm not ripping off LionHeartMisfit's story. Her story is great, but I wouldn't steal it because that is just horrible, and there is no comparison between our stories seeing as they start at different seasons and take completely different turns of events. So while I would appreciate criticism, I will not accept bashing that doesn't even make sense. I know all my readers are awesome, but I felt like I needed to write this out after I got this review on Under My Skin that really got to me.**

**But you guys are awesome and I love all of you. I'll do my best to update faster, but if I don't, know that I will update eventually. **

**Trigger Warning: Depression, Suicide.**

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><p>"I still don't think this is a good idea." Stiles mumbled under his breath as he threw his bag into the backseat of the jeep. Scott frowned as he stood beside him, not really capable of finding the best words to console his friend or even convince him – since Scott wasn't very convinced either with the idea. But Lydia said it was a good idea. And when Lydia wanted something, Lydia got that something.<p>

"I mean, she suddenly decided she's coming back to school next week. Don't you think that taking her to that party is a bit too much for her to handle right now?" Stiles asked as he slammed the door shut and flinched a little at the harshness he used with his jeep, his hand moving over the door to pat it gently. Scott lifted a brow before he turned his attention to Stiles' face again, "Maybe she thinks she's ready?" He offered, and frowned when Stiles sent him a glare.

"I'm telling you, this is the last thing she'd be ready for." Stiles muttered under his breath as he leaned against the jeep. "You should have seen her at the lake the other day...It's just..." Stiles shook his head once as his eyes drifted to the ground, "She was so broken and I didn't know how to help. I didn't even know how I could help. All I could do is let her cry until she got tired, then I drove her home."

Scott chewed at the inside of his cheek, his thumbs moving along the undersides of his shoulder straps before he took a deep breath, "You have to give her some space to figure herself out, Stiles. That's what I did when you…when your mom died. It's not easy."

"I know it's not. But that's not her mom just being gone from her life, Scott." Stiles started as he looked up at his friend, "It's Eva actually being there. Because I remember when she'd woken up in that ambulance, the first thing I saw on her face was…she knew her mother was dead." Stiles shook his head slowly, "And she saw it again. I had to literally peel her off the ground and away from the hallway. But the sight of that, it's an image that will haunt you for life."

Scott nodded once in understanding. He knew what Stiles was coming from, or at least he had an inkling of what he meant. Scott recalled clearly the time he walked in and saw the kanima's tail wrapped around his mother's neck. He remembered it too vividly for his own liking, and he'd sworn from then on to protect his mother from the supernatural world no matter what it took. But that wasn't easy. He knew it wasn't. And just the thought of losing his mother to something supernatural made Scott want to throw up – so he didn't think about it. And he couldn't even start to imagine what must be going on in Eva's mind.

Scott too wanted to help Eva. She was important to Stiles, and Scott really saw her as a good person. Even a friend, despite the fact that he'd never gotten the chance to hang out with her much. And technically, she was part of his pack as well. Scott just felt somewhat helpless, as he usually feels all the time now.

"Maybe it is a good idea, Stiles, who knows." Scott shrugged again as he looked up at Stiles, a surrendering look in his eyes. Neither of them had a better way to help, so they went with Lydia's way. "Did you get her a gift?" Scott tried to change the subject, and Stiles looked up at him, before he pursed his lips and nodded somewhat excitedly. Scott remembered when Stiles used to spend hours at Macy's trying to pick something for Lydia, but whenever Stiles went to go get something for Eva, he knew just _exactly _what she might like, and it made Scott somewhat proud of his friend.

"I got her this pastel colors kit. She used to tell me about how she only used them once or twice and how fun they were cause they were like chalk and they reminded her of messing around when she was a kid, and I really want something that brings back good memories, right?" Stiles started to ramble on and Scott nodded quickly, then Stiles turned to him, "What did you get?"

"Uh…" Scott started and blinked as he reached to scratch the back of his head, "I was going to go to the mall today?" Scott offered, and Stiles stared agape at him, before he shook his head in disbelief. "Well, what were you going to buy?"

"I don't know…" Scott muttered to himself as his eyes drifted to the ground, and Stiles shook his head once. "You know…I think Eva will need a new sketchbook for the pastel colors I got." Stiles pointed out, and Scott lifted a brow, "You could just give her that." Scott took a deep breath, "I guess that's a good idea." Scott nodded once, before he took a deep breath. "So I'll go look for it?" Scott started hesitantly and lifted a brow, but Stiles rolled his eyes, "No, I already bought it." Stiles told him with a grin as he clapped his hand on his back, "Okay, I have to go home now and get ready since I'm picking Eva up for the party anyways. I'll see you there?" Stiles nodded once as he patted his hand over Scott's shoulder and got into the jeep.

Scott pursed his lips thoughtfully, thinking of what else he could possibly give Eva as he got onto his dirt bike.

* * *

><p>Allison had stopped by Eva's place with the dress that Lydia had picked out for her. Eva sat on the bed, legs crossed underneath her with the curlers in her hair. She'd agreed to attend the party Lydia was throwing for her at her lake house – but she didn't know exactly why she did that. Eva wasn't even sure of half the words that left her lips nowadays. It was like she watched herself speak and react with everyone around her. And she didn't even give off much emotion, just the occasional huff of a laugh, or the small nods and head shaking. But that was pretty much it.<p>

"And here it is." Allison smiled as she hung the dress against Eva's wardrobe and revealed it. Eva blinked once and tilted her head, before she flickered her eyes towards Allison's face and she lifted a brow. The dress was pretty – normal. Really, very normal. Not too formal, or too party, it almost looked like an everyday dress.

"If you don't like it you can wear whatever makes you comfortable, you know." Allison pointed out quickly, "It's going to be just us, you know. And we'll just have to tell Lydia that it didn't fit you or something." Allison added encouragingly, and Eva smiled a bit as she shook her head. "The dress is really beautiful." Eva nodded once as she untangled her legs to swing them over the edge of the bed and get up. The physical ache from her healing incision was barely even there – almost gone, perfectly healed. But Eva still felt the pressure and the weight, and it always made it harder to even get up, but she did.

"I guess I wasn't expecting Lydia to pick out something so….normal." Eva pointed out and Allison laughed a little as she stepped forward to help Eva stand up, "It's fine." Eva told her as she held her hands up and straightened up, "I'm fine."

Allison pursed her lips curiously as she watched Eva step forward towards her bed, her eyes scanning the girl's posture just in case she was lying, but the only thing she noticed was how insanely smaller Eva had gotten. "The incision doesn't hurt anymore?" Allison wondered out loud and looked up at Eva, who glanced sideways at her and nodded once with a brief smile. "Yeah, and the doctor said it was healing great. Just about time. I really needed to get back to school." Eva mumbled as she pulled the dress out of the hanger and held it up in front of her.

"So you're ready to go back to school?" Allison asked as she leaned against the wardrobe, and Eva turned to her, before she shrugged, "I don't know. But I can't miss anymore."

"The whole town knows it's your aunt that killed all those people before. Going back to school won't be easy. I know." Allison started, and Eva's eyes flickered up to Allison's face. Allison chewed on the inside of her cheek before she decided to just tell her, "When they discovered that my aunt Kate was the one who caused the Hale fire, I was treated as if I was a psychopath around the school. No one made it easy. Especially when my dad and grandfather insisted we have a public funeral."

Eva stared at Allison silently as she spoke, before she moved back to sit at the edge of the bed again, laying the dress beside her, "But I had Scott at the time." Allison started, "He made it easier. So just…" Allison smiled softly at Eva, "Let Stiles in. Let him be there for you."

"But what if I don't know how?" Eva asked and tilted her head, "What if I don't know how to let people in?" Eva muttered as her eyes drifted to the ground, and Allison frowned a little. "That's for you to figure out." Allison whispered, "But you will. I know you will." Allison smiled at her again encouragingly before she stepped towards the door, "I'm going to get ready, okay?"

Eva breathed out and nodded at Allison, nodding when the girl waved briefly a she closed the door and left. Eva's eyes drifted sideways to the dress that lay on the bed and she took a deep breath. She had to figure it out – somehow. Eva stood up and stepped towards the mirror, staring at herself. She looked…different. Eva met her own reflection's gaze and frowned. She needed to figure it out, and she couldn't possibly figure it out looking like this. Eva's hand reached for the makeup bag that rested untouched on her new dresser for a while now, before she took a deep breath and looked up at the mirror. She remembered what Lydia had said that day, that maybe looking better will make her feel better.

Maybe.

After almost an hour of applying makeup, extricating the curlers from her hair, and finally actually getting into the dress and finding fitting accessories, Eva stared at herself in the mirror. She looked almost like her normal self. Almost – her eyes drifted downward to the dress that didn't exactly hug her torso like it was supposed it. Eva smoothed her hands over the air gaps between the dress and her body, and frowned as her eyes turned to the mirror again. She did lose a lot of weight. Eva had to step back and take a good look at herself, before she heard the doorbell ring. Eva stole one last glance at her reflection before she headed out of the room towards the front door. Eva peered through the magic eye and smiled a little when she saw Stiles, and she stepped back to open the door for him.

Stiles' eyes immediately drifted to Eva's figure when she opened the door, and he felt his heart skip a beat momentarily. It has been a while since he'd seen Eva look this…normal. Or this okay, and the idea of her looking _okay _so soon actually worried him, but he couldn't help the words the left his lips, "You look beautiful." Stiles breathed out, and Eva smiled a bit at him, before she stepped aside to hold the door open for him, "Come in. My dad is at work. I'll just grab my bag and then we can leave." Eva told him, and Stiles nodded slowly as he walked in and closed the door, watching after her as she headed back to her room.

When Eva had reappeared, she was wearing a leather jacket over her dress and had a small bag draped over her shoulder with her phone in her hand. Stiles took a deep breath, "Did you take your medicine?" He asked first, and Eva gave him a look, "I'll take it when I get home. It's barely even night time." Eva pointed out to the sun still setting outside."

Stiles felt the words burning on the tip of his tongue and he knew he just had to say them, "You don't have to do this if you don't want to, Eva. I know a party is too soon and-"

"It's not a party. It's a gathering." Eva corrected, "It's just us. I hardly call that a party."

"But…" Stiles started hesitantly, "Do...you feel like celebrating your birthday?"

Eva pressed her lips into a small smile, "I'm not celebrating anything…You guys are." Eva whispered, before she stepped past him towards the door to open it, and that's when Stiles knew this attempt to help Eva feel better, or anything at all, was going to be futile. Stiles breathed out a heavy sigh before he followed her outside.

* * *

><p>The trip to the lake house wasn't exactly a long one, but since it was through the reserve and Stiles needed to make sure everyone was there when they got there; he stalled on his way. Eva's eyes were staring aimlessly at the sky, the crescent moon still waning into a new moon. Eva's eyes drifted sideways to Stiles, watching him as he drove in silence, the only sound was the soft, quiet music that eluded from the radio.<p>

She remembered what Allison said, about letting Stiles in to make it easier for herself. But could she really do that? Because from where she sat, reaching out to Stiles was as if she had to run a thousand miles, and she was chained to the ground. Eva's eyes flickered to the windshield as they approached the lake house, and she saw the house lit inside and smiled briefly. She could at least pretend to enjoy her time for their sake.

"We're here." Stiles muttered as he glanced sideways at Eva and smiled at her, "You ready?"

"It's just a party." Eva shrugged as she sat up and reached for the door's handle.

"It's not a party, it's a gathering." Stiles couldn't help the quick answer before it left his mouth, and Eva narrowed her eyes as Stiles saw the hint of his Eva there momentarily. "You're a smartass." Eva pointed out with a small smile as she pushed open the door and started to get out. Stiles grinned to himself before he reached for the gift bags from the backseat and hurried out of the jeep to meet Eva by the entrance, reaching out for her hand.

Eva's eyes flickered to Stiles' hand, and she hesitated a little, before she placed her hand in his, and looked up at him – his smile only making her smile a little. Stiles blinked in surprise – maybe this was a good idea after all. Somehow.

Stiles reached out to knock the door, and looked down at Eva just as Lydia opened the door, "I knew the dress would look perfect on you." Lydia started with a grin before she stepped aside to let them in. Eva took a deep breath as she walked in and let Lydia close the door before they followed her towards the dining room.

Everyone was there – Scott, Kira, Allison, Isaac, and even the twins. They were all standing around the table with smiles plastered on their faces, genuine smiles. The table was decorated with the cake in the middle and all the other little things they could eat along with around it. "You guys didn't have to do all of this." Eva started as she glanced sideways at Lydia, who shrugged once and went to stand beside Aiden.

"Alright then." Stiles smiled at Eva before he reached for the matches and lit the candles on the cake. Eva tiled her head as she stared down at the flickering flames of the candles, momentarily she lost her train of thought just by looking at them, before she was brought back to present when she heard the unison singing around her. Eva felt the tears well up in her eyes before she took in a deep breath towards the end of the song and leaned down to blow out the candles.

"Did you make a wish?" Kira asked excitedly, and Eva smiled a little at her, before she nodded once, "I made a wish." Eva breathed out before she looked up at Stiles.

The music started playing after everyone grabbed their own plate, the small living room turning into a dance floor where Lydia and Aiden danced, and soon where joined by Allison and Isaac. Eva watched her friends talk and laugh, and the sight brought a small smile to her face. She felt, maybe even for a fraction of a second that the weight wasn't there – because for once she saw her friends happy because of something that she did.

She glanced back and tilted her head when she saw Kira and Scott talking in the corner by the dining table, before she turned forward and moved towards the back door that led towards the boat house. Eva's eyes flickered to the sky as she walked towards one of the wooden pillars by the boathouse, and she glanced back when she heard someone's footsteps. Stiles came to stand beside her and smiled, "You did them a great favor by coming out tonight." Stiles started as he glanced back at the house, and Eva pursed her lips as she nodded again. "They needed it."

"What about you?" Stiles asked as he looked down at her, "Don't you need it?"

Eva shrugged as her eyes drifted down to the water, "I don't know. Do I?"

"You really want to know what I think?" Stiles started as he looked down at her, and Eva nodded slowly, even though she didn't look up at him. "I think you should give yourself a chance. You should forgive yourself because if you let the guilt eat you up as well as the pain of losing someone…" Stiles let his voice trail off, and Eva tilted her head upwards to look at him.

"But I can't." Eva started slowly, "I can't do anything. I want to…I really do, but I can't."

Stiles frowned and reached out to brush his fingers against her wrist, urging her to talk to him. Eva took a deep breath before she started, "Whenever I start to think that I should try to do something my mom would want me to do…I feel this…weight…pull me down. It's like a sadness that won't let breathe." Eva whispered, "It's like I'm drowning." She eventually concluded and looked up at Stiles, who frowned and then turned to her. "You know that I'll pull you out if you give me the chance, right?"

Eva smiled and nodded once, "I know. I'll try."

"That's all I need." Stiles nodded once and reached down to brush a few stray tendrils out of her face. "I'll go get you something to eat, okay? You haven't eaten your own cake." Stiles told her and lifted both brows at her to dare her to argue, "You said you'd try."

"Fine." Eva breathed out and smiled briefly as she watched him leave. Eva's eyes flickered down to the lake's waters again, and she pulled her brows into a frown. It did feel like she was drowning. Her eyes flickered off the shimmering surface of the water as she found herself stepping forward, the tips of her boots peeking over the edge of the wooden pier.

*******Eva didn't know what was driving her to do this – maybe it was the urge to feel it again, what it felt like to drown. So she could feel what it was like to break into the surface and breathe again. Or at least, that's what she hoped would happen. She after all couldn't swim, and someone would have to notice she was doing this. But would it be really so bad if someone didn't notice? Either way, it would benefit the girl. She'd either feel better or feel nothing at all.

With that thought in mind, Eva stepped forward into the air, lifting her head so her eyes could gaze at the starry night for one last time - and she let herself fall into the water.

She didn't feel the sting of the icy water until after a few second of being in it. It felt like little explosives were going off on her skin, numbing every inch of her. Eva let her arms float by her side, opening her eyes slowly, staring off into the darkness of the lake. She didn't even realize how deep the lake was where she jumped until she dared to look up, and saw the surface getting so much far away than what she would have wanted it to be.

Eva felt the panic fill her heart as well as the burning ignited within her chest. Her head started to ache as she sunk into the water. Eva suddenly realized that she did want to break through the surface – she _wanted_ to get out of the water. She _wanted_ to get better. The burning in her chest pressing against her lungs, forcing her to keep her mouth closed, to refuse the water. Both that and the pain in her head knocked the truth back into her. She didn't want to die just yet. It was _not _her time.

Before her eyes, in the dark water, little snippets of her life played out – memories flashing back to her, begging her to push herself up to the surface. The happy memories she'd had as a child with her family. The ones she made when she moved back to Beacon Hills. Then there were the bad ones too, the ones she tried to so hard to push back and not ever remember again. The memories of watching as her aunt killed her mother – her aunt did it, not Eva. Julia. And Eva was letting Julia win, proving that she was that girl she spoke of to her mother before she killed her.

But Eva wasn't that weak girl. And even if she was, now, she didn't want to be that weak girl anymore.

Frantically, Eva started struggling to get to the surface, trying to put all the pointers from the failed swimming lessons to use. But the boots on her feet made the effect of kicking against the water less effective, and she was still weak. She couldn't do it. Eva pushed her limbs against the water in an attempt to push her body upward, but the air she had held in ran out, and her lips parted – the last thing Eva saw were the bubbles rising above her head as her body relaxed into the cold water.

* * *

><p>Scott was just coming out of the lake house when Stiles walked, "Hey, where's Eva? I wanted to talk to her." Scott asked, and Stiles poked his thumb over his shoulder, "She's by the boathouse. I was just about to go get her something to eat." Stiles answered as he moved past Scott into the house.<p>

"Uh, Stiles," Scott called out as he glanced back at Stiles, still holding the door open. "She's not by the boathouse."

"What?" Stiles frowned as he stepped towards the door again, "I just left her there; we were just talking." Stiles started as he stepped out of the backdoor again and there momentarily, his eyes moving over the pier, searching for Eva's figure. "I just left her ther-"

That was when it hit Stiles, _It's like I'm drowning._

"She's in the water." Stiles breathed out, his blood running cold in his veins.

"What?" Scott turned to his friend, eyes wide.

"She's…She's in the water, damn it!" Stiles cried out as he pushed past Scott towards the pier, managing to empty his pockets before he looked down at the water, hoping to see something, anything. And he did see something – bubbles, and a silhouette growing smaller. Stiles didn't even hesitate. He took a deep breath, held it in, and jumped into the water.

It wasn't cold, but it was enough to make someone curl up and not want to move. But Stiles didn't have time to dwell on the water's temperature. Despite Stiles' panic, he refrained from thrashing against the water, but dove in after the silhouette until he made out the top of Eva's head. He kicked himself deeper until he wrap his arm around her torso and pull her with him as he kicked his feet and pushed his free arm against the water until he finally broke through the surface.

"Eva, Eva, come on…" Stiles gasped as he held her up, her head lolling back onto his shoulder. His eyes flickered to the pier where Scott leaned down, holding his arms downward to pull Eva onto the pier. Stiles moved in the water with difficulty, but he managed to keep them both above the surface and lifted Eva up so Scott could grab her and pulled her up.

Kira had heard Stiles when he ran towards the water, so she was kneeling beside Scott as he slowly pulled Eva's unconscious body onto the pier. He turned to help Stiles up onto the wooden ledge as Kira hovered around her friend helplessly. Stiles on the other hand moved quickly to her other side, "Eva, come on, don't do this…" He muttered as he pressed his hands on her chest, trying his best to remember how to pace the compressions. "Come on, Eva. Don't do this to me again. Don't do this to me again." Stiles kept on whispered on and on as he felt his eyes well up with tears, before his eyes flickered to her lips, and he tilted her chin up, gentling holding her nose as he leaned down to press his lips to cold ones.

Stiles blew the air into her mouth and pulled back, and just as he did, Eva coughed out the water, tilted her head sideways. Stiles hurried to help her sit up so she could breathe, his hands moving to hold the tops of her arms, "Just breathe, Eva. Just breathe, I'm here. Just breathe." He begged her as she gasped for breath, before with shaking hands she wiped the water from her eyes and coughed into her hands. Stiles watched as she managed to clear her airways and push her hair out of her face to finally open her eyes to look up at him.

"I'm sorry…" She whispered, the first words that ever occurred to her to say, "I'm so sorry." Eva whimpered as she leaned her head into Stiles chest and wrapped her arms around his torso to hold onto him, and Stiles breathed out as he closed his eyes, wrapping his arms around her tightly, pulling her into his chest. His hand moved to back of her head, holding her close, his other hand wrapped around her torso. Stiles pressed his lips to her temple before he tucked her head underneath his chin and looked up to flicker his gaze between a relieved Kira and a concerned Scott, before he closed his eyes again.


	5. Step By Tiny Step

**A/N:**

**Well it's been ages - I'm so sorry for my delayed reply. Not only did I get busy with school, but just as I started making the gif's for this chapter, tumblr rolled out the new update and I lost motivation for making anything. But now I've gotten back my motivation and I'm determined to try and keep my updates somewhat regular. And honestly, the one thing that comforts me is the fact that the stats say the story's been viewed. I won't ask for reviews but they would be great, honestly. I don't mind them at all. But thank you, so so much bluepenquin1998, your reviews do make my day!**

**Trigger Warning: Depression, Suicide.**

**Enjoy this chappie! Many surprises to come ahead, my lovelies.**

* * *

><p>"I'm glad you finally decided to talk to someone. I'm surprised you picked me, though."<p>

Eva flickered her eyes from the name framed on the desk, before she looked up at Mrs. Morrell, "You're the only person I can talk to. Really talk to." Eva mumbled as she glanced around the office. Marin's eyes also moved around the office she worked in at Eichen House, before her eyes moved down to Eva's face again, "Tell me what happened. What changed your mind?"

Eva licked her lips and looked down at the ground again, her mind recalling the night of her birthday party – fairly two nights ago.

_Eva sat in front of the fireplace in the lake house's living room, a couple of blankets wrapped around her. She stared at the flames dancing before her eyes, before she took a deep breath and pursed her lips. It was gone. The weight was gone. It worked._

_Eva looked up when she heard someone walk in, half expecting it to be Stiles, now having warmed up enough under the hot shower to talk to her. But it wasn't. Scott slowly sat down beside her on the floor and glanced sideways at her. Eva stared at him for a long moment, before Scott finally started, "Did it help?"_

"_What?" Eva frowned, not expecting that to be the first question to leave Scott's lips._

"_Did it help? Almost drowning? Did it change anything?" Scott asked again, before he lifted both brows, "You jumped, right? You didn't fall."_

_Eva's eyes drifted back to the fire and she nodded slowly, "I jumped, yeah."_

_Scott remained silent, not persisting or asking his question again, but when Eva turned to him again, she saw the curiosity still in his eyes. Eva chewed at the inside of her cheek before she nodded slowly, "It did something."_

"_Not what you wanted it to do?" Scott inquired, tilting his head._

"_No, not really" Eva shook her head slowly, before she turned to Scott again and sighed, "I'm sorry."_

"_It's…I'm not the one you should be apologizing to." Scott admitted as he turned his gaze to the fire. _

_Eva frowned before she turned her gaze to the flames as well, "Is he upset?"_

"_He's shaken up." Scott started, "It really was like that other night for him, and Stiles really does care about you. You can't do this to him, Eva." Eva glanced sideways at Scott when she heard the protective tone in Scott's voice, "Stiles is like a brother to me, and I would do anything for him, even if it's to talk to his girlfriend that almost died and tell her what he's too worried or too scared to tell her."_

_Eva blinked slowly before she nodded once, her gaze turning solemn. "I'm going to get better."_

"_I really hope you do." Scott smiled briefly, "But just in case, I wanted to give you the present I got for you."_

_Eva looked up at Scott curiously as he pulled his phone out of pocket and started typing. When he was done, he turned to Eva and took a deep breath, "I just texted you my mom's number. My mom has been…so amazing with all of this. And she's been a mom to me, and Stiles, and Allison, and Isaac…and she can be for you too." Scott mumbled, "So I talked to her. And she's here for you. Whatever you need." Scott smiled briefly at Eva, and the girl felt her eyes well up a little._

"_Can I hug you?" Eva inquired, and Scott laughed a little as he scooted closer to her to wrap his arms around her, "You're part of my family now, okay?" Scott started as he squeezed her frame once before he pulled away and stood up. "Whatever you need."_

_Eva nodded slowly, and watched as he walked back into the hallway. It was only a few minutes after that Stiles walked in with a blanket draped over his shoulders as well, and two mugs of something hot in his hands. Stiles plopped down beside Eva on the ground and held the mug out to her. Eva reached out to take the mug slowly, her eyes flickering up to his face, meeting his gaze. "I'm really sorry, Stiles."_

"_Don't apologize." Stiles shook his head once, "I shouldn't have left you by the lake alone anyways. I should have known better."_

_Eva frowned, "How could you have known better, Stiles?"_

"_Because…Because your mom's ashes in a lake…I just figured…" Stiles stuttered, his voice trailing away, and Eva sighed a little, "That I'd want to be with her?" She finished for him, and Stiles looked up, nodding slowly. "I didn't jump into the lake to drown." _

"_But you can't swim. You told me you couldn't swim." Stiles started, pulling his brows into a frown as he tilted his head and turned on his hunches to face her. Eva held the mug between her hands and brought it up to her lips, blowing into the hot chocolate and sipping a little at it. Stiles waited for her patiently, he too sipping at his drink. Eva finally lowered the mug and turned to Stiles, "I guess I was just…Trying to get rid of the feeling."_

"_The feeling that you were drowning?" Stiles asked, and Eva nodded slowly. "Did it work?"_

"_I don't feel it anymore." Eva shrugged once, and Stiles pursed his lips. "Is that a good thing?"_

"_Well I won't be throwing myself into lakes or pools anytime soon." Eva joked, and Stiles gave her a look, which made Eva realize that it wasn't a topic to joke about. And Eva realized she'd often used the dark humor to avoid the questions lately. "I guess it is. I know one thing for sure now."_

"_What is it?" Stiles asked, and Eva turned to him, taking a deep breath, "I'm going to talk to someone." Eva started, "I really want to get better. So I'm going to talk to someone."_

_Stiles' face lit up some as he scooted closer to her, "Are you serious?"_

_Eva nodded slowly and felt a small smile stretch onto her lips. Stiles breathed out a relieved sigh before he lifted his arm to bring his blanket around Eva's shoulders and pull her into his chest so they could both warm up by the fire, and for the first time things seemed to start to brighten up for the both of them, or at least Eva hoped they will._

"I almost drowned." Eva muttered, "I mean, I jumped into the water. But I didn't jump to like…kill myself." Eva looked up at Mrs. Morrell who took a deep breath and started, "Then why did you jump?"

"I guess….I guess I was trying feel something." Eva started and shrugged a little, "Ever since what happened, what happened with my mom, what my aunt did…I've just not been feeling myself. I felt like I was watching myself wither away and I couldn't do anything about it because I felt so numb." Eva explained as she looked up at the woman again, who nodded slowly.

"Is there anything specific that you were hoping to…feel?" Marin asked, and Eva blinked slowly as she tried to find the right words to describe it, "I guess…I guess I wanted to feel alive."

"And did you?"

"No," Eva shook her head slowly, "But I know now that I want to."

"How are you going to do that? Feel alive?" Marin asked as she swayed her chair swayed, propping her elbows on the armrest and locking her fingers together.

"I'm going to work on everything else that I feel. I mean, that's what I'm here for, right?" Eva asked, and Marin smiled at her, nodding slowly. "Right. So what did you want to talk about first?"

It was a two hour long session of continuous conversation between the two. Eva was surprised at the amount of comfort it brought her to talk about all of this, but when eventually it was over and Eva had to leave, Eva was relieved as well.

She walked through the hallways of the old sanitarium. She didn't know much about the place but she knew it had been standing here for a very long time. Eva's eyes drifted sideways to the wide rooms that had circles of chairs in them, patients sitting on the chairs and one counselor. Group therapies. Eva was uneasy about coming to Eichen House for her sessions but it was where Mrs. Morrell was called therapist. At school she'd be just a counselor, and that wouldn't help at all, especially now that she's got a very short prescription of anti-depressant that a school counselor can't prescribe.

Eva decided to take the outside route to the lobby – really needing the fresh air before she had to go and sit in the cooped up lobby. She watched the patients dressed in a uniform of grey-ish sweatpants and dark blue shirts, either long or short sleeved. She walked silently, her eyes observing the environment provided for these people – and she felt bad for them. The world saw them as mentally ill, not fit to live with normal people, and threw them in this place to _treat_ them.

"It's miserable isn't it?"

Eva snapped her head forward to one of the patients standing in front of her, and out of instinct she stepped back briefly and took a deep breath, "I'm sorry?"

"It's a miserable place." The boy said, and Eva blinked as her eyes flickered up to his – and she stood there, trying to read him. She didn't really get much, but he stood normal, and talked normal. His clothes were the only inkling that he's a patient in this place. "Don't worry, I'm not crazy." He smiled at her, and Eva felt herself instinctively smile, an alarming sense of familiarity dawning onto her when she saw his smile. "My name's Daniel."

"Eva." She nodded once, her hands reaching to hold onto the straps of her bag on her shoulder. She glanced around, biting onto her lip curiously before she looked up at him again, "You don't look…you know."

"Crazy?' He offered to finish off her sentence, and Eva shrugged once. "Well, it's a long story. Don't let me bore you." He shrugged once, and Eva pursed her lips, nodding slowly, "What about you?"

"Me?" Eva blinked once, surprised at his curiosity, before she shook her head slowly as her brain tried to make up words to explain to this stranger, before she frowned – she didn't need to explain herself to him. She barely even knew him. "I was...I'm having my session with one of therapists here." She nodded once and pursed her lips.

"So, you're crazy." He concluded, and Eva lifted a brow as she crossed her arms over her chest, "No, I'm not."

"I saw you leave Morrell's office. Only the really messed up ones talk to her." Daniel shrugged and an overwhelmingly cocky smirk tugged at the corners of his lips that replaced any fondness Eva had for the guy with irritation. "You're one to talk." Eva pressed and shook her head once as she moved past him, but was surprised when he reached out and caught her wrist.

"I'm sorry." He said quickly when Eva turned around to look at him, and Eva took a deep breath to start and brush it off – but one of the nurse pulled her back as the others tasered Daniel to the ground, "He didn't do anything!" Eva cried out when the nurse stepped in front of her to shield her from absolutely nothing, but the one with the tazer looked up at her, "What are you doing here? Out patients are not allowed on the grounds." He barked, and Eva flinched as she stepped back.

The nurse who'd pulled her away turned to her with an apologetic expression on his face, "I'm sorry about him. Come on, let's get you to the lobby, okay?" Eva looked back at Daniel, twisting and turning on the ground, before she looked up at the nurse and started, "He really didn't do anything."

The man sighed, "That's not for me to decide. Just come with me. You really shouldn't be on the grounds." He told her. Eva's eyes flickered to the name tag on his chest that read Cole, then she looked up at him again and nodded slowly, letting him lead her back into building. "What was wrong with him anyways?" Eva asked as she looked up at him, and Cole shook his head once, flashing her another apologetic smile, "That's patient information that I can't disclose."

"I'm technically a patient, right?" Eva asked as she lifted a brow, and Cole shook his head once, "Let's just say he's had a rough childhood and he's been kicked out of so many foster homes that no other place would take him except here."

"That bad?" Eva frowned as she looked back again, "He really looks sane to me."

"Those are the ones that are the most insane." Cole pointed out, and Eva blinked slowly as she took in his words and nodded, "Here we are." Cole announced once they'd gotten to the lobby, "Please don't wander inside this place on your own again. It could be really dangerous."

Eva smiled and nodded once at the man, "I won't. Thank you." She offered genuinely, "I'm Eva, by the way." She started, and Cole smiled, "And I'm Cole." He told her before the beeper on his side went off, and he looked up at her apologetically before he turned to leave. Eva turned back to the main doors and took a deep breath before she dug through her bag and retrieved her phone. Eva frowned a little when her eyes went over the notifications she had, one of which being a text message from her father saying that he couldn't pick her up and that Stiles will. The other one was a text message from Stiles saying that Derek was going to pick her up.

And indeed, when she looked up, she saw Derek leaned against his black Camaro across the street. Eva pulled her brows into a frown before she approached him slowly, "Why are you picking me up?" She asked quietly, hesitantly, and Derek looked down at her before he took a deep breath, "I never got a chance to offer you my condolences." He eventually sighed, and Eva blinked in surprise.

"I…realize that I misjudged you. And you lost almost everything, almost like I did." Derek started, his gaze on the floor before he took a deep breath, "I'm here for something else. Something that might help you."

"You have something that might help me?" Eva questioned and lifted both brows in surprise. Derek gave her a look before he stepped aside and opened the passenger side's door, "Will you just get in and trust me?"

Eva stared at him for a long moment before she eventually slid into the car, sinking into the leather seat that made her look a thousand times smaller than she already looked. Derek got into the driver's seat and glanced sideways at Eva before he started, "You're part of Scott's pack. Whoever's a friend of Scott's is a friend of mine." Derek explained, though he kept a straight face, as he brought the car's motor to life and drove.

Eva was holding onto the edge of seat for dear life, even with her seatbelt on. When the car finally came to a stop, Eva breathed out in relief and closed her eyes. "Do you always drive like you want to die?" She turned to him, glaring.

"Says the girl that threw herself in a lake knowing she couldn't swim." Derek answered back, and Eva narrowed her eyes, "That's none of your business." Eva answered curtly, before she got out of the car and slammed the door shut. Derek rolled his eyes as he got out as well, and went to stand beside Eva, and heaved out a small sigh. "I'm…sorry." Derek breathed out through his teeth, and Eva glanced sideways at him, "I've had a couple of rough weeks." Derek mumbled, memories of being held captive by the Calaveras only to be rescued by that mercenary flashing back into his head.

Eva shrugged once, "It's fine." She told him, before she glanced around at the ordinary looking street, and the ordinary looking apartment complex that rose before them. "Where are we?" She asked as she turned to Derek, "Follow me." Was his only answer as he moved towards the complex and brought out a key, opening the door and holding it open for Eva before he followed her in.

A silent ride was the on the elevator was all they needed, too. "Where are we?" Eva pressed as she looked up at Derek, "You'll see." Eva arched one delicate brow at the man, before she took a deep breath and seethed it out through her teeth as the elevator doors opened and Derek led them through the hallway towards an apartment door.

Derek opened the door and held it for Eva to walk in, before he leaned against the doorway.

"Are you going to tell me where are we?" Eva demanded as she turned to him.

"This was…actually is still, Julia's apartment." Derek breathed out, letting his gaze drop to the ground. Eva stared at him blankly for a minute, trying to register what he'd just said. "Still?"

"I'm paying rent for it." Derek explained, "After what happened…I…used to just come and sit here." Derek shook his head and shrugged once, "Why I did that is not important, I brought you here because…you need to deal with what happened." Derek started as he looked up at her, "You need to deal with how you feel."

Eva blinked in slight surprise, and felt a little violated, "You were listening in on my session?"

Derek sighed heavily, "Do you want to get better or not?" Derek asked seriously, and Eva nodded slowly, "The apartment's yours. Do whatever you want with it. Take whatever you want from it. I'll pay for…any damage." Derek started as he stepped back, "I'll pick you up in an hour." Derek nodded once and started to close the door.

"Derek," Eva called out before he closed the door, "Thanks?" She offered and Derek nodded once before he closed the door. Eva turned back to the apartment, staring at its very ordinary exterior. A small living room, two armchairs, a loveseat. A television, a small kitchen on the side. And when she peered into the hallway she saw the two doors, one must have been a bathroom, the other a bedroom. Eva's eyes flickered across the living room again, towards that settled towards the far end of the room.

Eva stepped towards the desk slowly, her hands pushing away the books and the school papers that were there, remembering briefly that Julia pretended to be a school teacher. Once she moved everything out of the way, Eva saw a map underneath everything, with x's and circles marking certain spots. Eva frowned as her eyes flickered across the names; The Bank, The Rail Depot, Derek's loft, The hospital…her house?

Eva stared down for a long time before she finally understood what it meant. Those where the places her aunt took her victims from, or killed her victims at. But why was her house marked with an X? Eva's eyes flickered from the map to the photo frame that was in the cupboard by the desk, the very same photo Eva had on her dresser framed in there. Eva drew in a deep breath.

She was her backup plan. Eva was her aunt's backup plan. It wasn't something that happened by chance.

For the first time in a long time, Eva felt anger. It gently bubbled up in her chest until it felt like fire taking over her being, making her see red. Eva reached for the lamp on the desk, and turned her head away as she smashed the lamp through the glass, before she quickly and carefully reached in for the photo and brought it forward to stare down at it.

"I hate you." Eva breathed out through her teeth, her eyes welling up with fiery tears of anger, before she, with all her might, slammed the framed against the ground, watching the glass shatter, and the frame break into pieces. Eva's eyes lingered on the photo for a very long time, and she didn't even realize what she was doing until the piece of paper went up in flames. Eva gasped, before she quickly stepped on it, once, twice, until the fire was out.

It took Eva a minute to realize that it actually made her feel better, and she turned around, her eyes searching the apartment frantically, before they fell on the desk. With one swipe of her arms against the desk, all its contents were on the ground. Eva breathed out, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she stared down at the mess she'd made. Her eyes were welling up with tears, her heart was beating fast, and she was actually feeling _better. _

Eva's eyes tried to take in the appearance of the living room, before she threw the lamp to the ground, and reached for the TV to tug it off the wall and throw it to the ground. Eva hurried to flip over the coffee table, before she stepped back and took a deep breath to calm herself down, and her eyes scanned over the apartment again. She was actually feeling a lot better. A lot relieved…a lot less angry.

Eva took a deep breath before she turned towards the cupboard she'd just smashed into, and stepped towards it slowly. Her eyes flickered across the books that were inside it, most of them classical novels, until her eyes finally settled on a book spine that looked too old and worn out to be a novel. It reminded her more of a…grimoire. Eva reached in slowly and grabbed the book, then slowly pulled it out. Eva looked down at small, diary looking booking, before she pushed the hardcover open to peer through the withered pages.

She frowned as she stared at the blank page in front of her – why would her aunt keep a book of blank pages? As Eva started to flip through the pages, hoping to find something written somewhere, she heard the door click, and quickly closed the book, whirling around to see Derek peering through the front door. Derek's eyes widened as he glanced around the room, "Damn, you're little, but you sure can leave a mess."

Eva pursed her lips and shrugged a little, "Can I come back some time again?" Eva started as she stepped towards him, and Derek nodded slowly, "You can come over any time." He muttered as he peered into the apartment again before his eyes flickered to the notebook in Eva's arms. "What's that?"

Eva looked down at the book before she took a deep breath and looked up at Derek again, "Something Julia doesn't need anymore." Eva muttered as she stepped past him and into the hallway.


	6. Deals With the Devil

**A/N:**

**And it has been a month since I updated. Good news is - I got a good amount of writing done! Bad news, I'm hardly ever free. Good news, I'm free now! And hopefully, hopefully for the rest of the year! Or at least, I hopefully won't be as busy as I usually am. Anyways, the trigger warnings will stop now as it's beginning to delve into the plot of the actual story, and starting from this chapter I'd probably say gather clues, my friends. It's gonna be a wild ride.**

**Finally, without further due, a new chapter - I do hope you enjoy it! And that you've stuck around to begin with!**

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><p>"<em>I trashed her apartment." Eva mumbled under her breath, sounding guiltier than she expected herself to be. "I trashed Julia's apartment." Eva breathed out as she looked up, her gaze meeting Morrell's soft brown one. She chewed on the inside of her cheek, "I thought it would make me feel better, and it did, for maybe an hour. Then I realized I got nothing out of it. That I stooped to her level."<em>

"_How does trashing her apartment make you stoop to her level, Eva?" Morrell asked as she tilted her head, and Eva rolled her shoulders into a small shrug, "She caused chaos to get what she wanted. She wanted her revenge, which would have somehow made her feel better. That's the exact same thing."_

"_But you're not like her, Eva. She had all the wrong reasons. All the wrong decisions. She didn't go through half of what you went through. You have a right to some chaos. Your chaos. The one you're going to fix." Morrell spoke slowly, and Eva stared at her before she pulled her legs up to wrap her arms around them and hug her knees to her chest._

"_But if you think about it, what happened to her…" Eva started slowly, "I mean she was betrayed by the person she trusted the most. Even killed."_

"_Does that justify what she did?" Morrell asked, narrowing her eyes a little as she leaned forward onto the desk to rest her arms onto it._

_Eva looked up at her and shook her head quickly, "N-no! I mean…I'm not trying to justify her."_

"_But you are. Because you hope it justifies you." Morrell muttered, "If you become like her."_

_Eva couldn't blink, she couldn't even breathe. But she nodded slowly, "Is that what really scares you? That you might become like her?"_

"_There's always the possibility, right?" Eva started hesitantly, "I mean, the oni found nothing dark in me. But that doesn't mean there isn't. What if it's there and it's just waiting for this one…spark…that will cause this disaster?" Eva rambled on nervously, before she let her legs down and scooted to the edge of the seat, waiting for the words of wisdom she'd hoped to hear from her._

"_You don't want to use your powers." Morrell deduced, and Eva drew in a slow breath before she nodded._

"_I don't want any of it. I just want what I had before all of this." Eva whispered, "I don't want to live in the fear that I might hurt someone I care about because I became too dark. And even when the lake incident made the numbness go away, I can still feel it. It's like a void in my chest. It's like a blindfold over my sense of judgment. It's why I trashed that apartment."_

"_What you're asking for is impossible, Eva." Morrell sighed, and Eva's face fell, even when she didn't have high hopes to begin with. "How powerful are you now?" She muttered, and her gaze turned from warm to stern. Eva blinked slowly, trying to find the words in her mind to describe. "Why don't you show me?"_

"_I can't control it…" Eva breathed out hesitantly, but Morrell stood up, pressing her hands against the desk, "Show me, Eva. You can do it."_

"_I can't, I really can't." Eva tried to sound more defiant, but Morrell's insistence was pushing her, "What do you mean you can't? This power is part of who you are now. Show me so I can help you._

"_I can't…" Eva felt her voice to start to shake as her breath hitched._

"_Show me." Morrell repeated, and Eva snapped, "I can't!" She yelled, and all the glass in the room, the windows, the light bulbs, even the glass of water on the desk exploded, glass shattering everywhere. Eva had immediately ducked down, holding her arms over her head, but she didn't feel any glass shards on her skin. She frowned as she slowly peered over the desk, and her breath got caught in her chest._

_The glass crystals were hanging in the air, just floating there. Eva's eyes flickered across the adorned office before she turned to Morrell again, "Our powers have two sides. A good side and a bad one. However, the powers don't decide which side they land on, we do." Morrell spoke slowly as she eased the glass shards to the ground and on the desk. "The powers are part of who you are Eva. Even if you have a little darkness, it's no match for the goodness in your heart. It doesn't matter where it came from. What matters now is that you control it."_

_Eva pushed herself up off the ground slowly, the residue of the surge still running through her body. She felt a little light headed but other than that, the surges didn't leave her as weak as they used to do. Her eyes flickered up to Morrell's face, "How can I control it?"_

"_Learn it."_

Eva stared down at the withered pages of the grimoire. That was the first time she opened the book since she left the hospital – and it felt so difference. But when she held it, it gave her balance. She felt somewhat in control as she stared down at the English letters in their odd anagrams. She'd translated so much of the book too that she could read the things she didn't translate and actually understand them. It was different now. Before she was reading only to know. Now she was reading to learn.

She'd texted Derek about fifteen minutes ago so he could pick her up. She insisted on going to Julia's apartment again after that session, and since she didn't want anyone to know about it, she asked Derek to be the one to pick her from Eichen House. The thought of that place made Eva shiver, but part of was still curious about the patient she'd met. Daniel. But she didn't see him today.

Eva looked down at the page again, before her eyes flickered to the scented candle resting against the coffee table. Eva frowned before she held her fist up. _Dóiteáin. _The word echoed in her head as if it had always been there. Eva knew it meant fire. She just didn't know how she knew that. But she chanted it over and over in her head, imagining the candle being lit. Everything in the book stressed on how much Eva needed to believe what she imagined, and she when finally opened her eyes – so sure that she was going to be able to do this – she opened her palm.

And the small flame caught onto the candle out of thin air.

"Impressive." Eva glanced over her shoulder to see Derek leaning by the doorway, arms crossed over his chest.

"How long have you been there?" She asked, surprised that she didn't even hear him walk in, and she quickly got up, slamming the grimoire shut.

"About…" Derek started as he looked down at his watch, "Two minutes, exactly." He breathed out before he looked up at her again. "You didn't hear me."

"What?" Eva asked, not looking up at him as she packed the grimoire into her bag.

"You didn't hear me while you were doing your little druid spell there." Derek repeated as Eva finally stood up and heaved out a long breath, then she picked up her bag and slung the straps over one shoulder. "I was focused." She explained as she shrugged a little to step around the couch. Derek didn't fix the damage – the cupboard was still broken, as well as the picture frame. But the place was back in order.

"I thought you were going to destroy the rest of the apartment today." Derek commented, and Eva shot him a glare, only she spied the small smile that curled on his lips, and she rolled her eyes. "I realized violence is not the answer to my problems. Control is."

"You're talking like a werewolf." Derek mumbled as he pressed the elevator's button.

"I might as well be one. I think I'm just as dangerous." Eva shrugged a little as she stepped when Derek held the door open for her, but frowned when she heard him scoff, "What is it?"

"You couldn't be that dangerous." Derek shook his head once as he looked down at her, "You're too good."

Eva turned away from Derek and stared ahead, but a small smile crept onto her lips as well. "Thanks." She mumbled, blinking once.

"Don't feel so grateful. Sometimes being dangerous is what you need to survive in this town." Derek muttered under his breath as he looked down at her, "You need to learn to control what you have, and quickly."

"And you really need to stop spying on my sessions." Eva complained as she crossed her arms over her chest, and Derek shook his head as he chuckled, before he pushed the elevator door open once they were on the ground floor. Derek led Eva out of the elevator just as someone else brushed by her shoulder and walked in, but the small clash left Eva staggering as a sudden coldness ran through her being.

She looked over her shoulder at the figure as it disappeared behind the doors, and frowned. She didn't even know whether that person was male or female, but all she knew is that she had the oddest coldness run through her when she moved past that person.

"Eva?" Derek asked, and Eva turned to him, staring at where he stood by the building's door, before she shook her head once and walked forward towards him, past him. Derek's eyes followed her as she went down the stairs before he closed the door. "What happened back there?" He asked as they approached his car, and Eva shrugged as she looked up at him.

"You look like you've seen a ghost." Derek pointed out, and Eva shook her head slowly, "I'm fine." She breathed out, not really sure if she was reassuring him or herself, before she quickly got into the car. Derek glanced sideways at her skeptically as he watched her bring out her phone, and turned to the windshield.

Eva tried to shake off the odd feeling before she distracted herself by texting Stiles, telling him she just left Eichen House. She smiled at the picture reply of him pouting while holding his algebra book, and shook her head slowly. She looked up at street ahead before she turned to Derek, "Thank you." She breathed out, realizing she hadn't actually thanked him.

"For what?" Derek muttered, not turning his eyes from the road.

"For letting me into the apartment, picking me up, not…hating me…" Eva started, her voice trailing off as she got hesitant. Derek glanced sideways at her and smiled a bit, "I never hated you. I thought you were like your aunt."

"But you hated my aunt." Eva started hesitantly, before the realization dawned upon her, "Unless you don't."

Derek sighed heavily as he glanced sideways at her, remaining silent. "That's why you still have the apartment."

"You're smart." Derek pointed out quietly, and Eva pursed her lips before she took a deep breath, "Look, it's none of my business." She started and leaned back into the seat, "I just wanted to say thank you. And if I could…ever help you like you're helping me." Eva started, before she let herself become silent. She glanced sideways at Derek, before she fell silent.

"Actually, there's something you can help me with." Derek started as the car slowed to a stop in front of a red light and he turned to Eva, who blinked as she turned to look at him. Derek's eyes flickered to her bag, before he turned to hold her gaze slowly. Eva frowned before she looked down at her phone when she felt it buzz in her hands again. She looked up at Derek, who gave her his silent consent to her unspoken question, and Eva smiled gratefully before she quickly texted Stiles to meet them by Derek's loft.

* * *

><p>Eva got out of the Camaro and glanced around, her eyes barely remembering how the building looked like in the light of day. The two times she'd been here, both intentionally and unintentionally, were at night, and both were nights she didn't want to remember.<p>

She smiled when she saw the powder blue of Stiles' jeep in the parking lot, and headed towards him. "Hey, you." Stiles muttered as he took her hand and leaned down to peck her lips once. Eva lifted both brows, widening her eyes a little as she gestured back to Derek. "I can kiss my girlfriend if I want to." Stiles pointed out, and Eva pursed her lips into a small smile, "Fine." She mumbled, before they turned back to Derek who stood by his car, waiting.

They followed silently to the loft – Eva's eyes registering every detail. But she already knew the place. The more vivid memories were the bitter ones – Eva remembered when her aunt had made her way to Derek's loft with the intention of taking Derek. Eve couldn't exactly recall how she felt, but she knew she felt anxious. Felt anxious because she felt what her aunt felt – she wanted the sacrifices to be done, and wanted the price to be paid. It was a viciousness Eva never knew she could experience, one that she'd numbed out until she'd jumped into that lake. Now it all came back.

Her eyes flickered across the loft as Derek walked in, remembering every aspect of the fight that had gone down here. Stiles had started to walk in but noticed how Eva's gaze had turned into an aimless one, almost like she was deep in thought, and he realized too that she must be remembering what happened. Eva felt the memories play back in her mind like a video tape – every feeling coming back with them. The satisfaction of over powering a werewolf, the pleasure in pouring salt into Derek's wounds, the fearlessness. Eva remembered it clearly – she was dauntless. And right now she was scared of almost everything.

Before Eva had come to the realization of all those emotions rushing back, Stiles' voice broke her out of her epiphany. "Eva, are you okay?"

"Yeah." She breathed out quickly as she turned to look at him, and nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine. I just…" Eva started as she turned back towards Derek, who stood by the opposite end of the loft, holding her gaze for a minute there. "I remembered what happened here, that's all." Eva mumbled before she looked up at Stiles again and smiled briefly, "I'm fine."

Stiles pulled his brows together, but followed Eva into the loft. They both waited by the poor excuse of a living room while Derek disappeared upstairs, before he came back with a wooden case in his hands. Eva's eyes flickered all over the case – she recognized a lot of Celtic symbols engraved on the case, and immediately realized what it was, "A preservation case." She muttered before she looked up at Derek, who nodded once.

When Derek poured the contents of the case though, Stiles jumped back, one arm stretched in front of Eva as the other put some distance between him and the coffee table, before he brought his fist against his mouth, "Ah…Are those…are those claws?" Stiles muttered, his face twisting in distaste as he looked up at Derek, who rolled his eyes once. "Yes, they're claws. They're my mothers. All that remained of her, actually."

"Dude." Stiles whispered, before he eventually sighed. He could somewhat understand, seeing as he'd lost his mother too. When he looked down at Eva, she seemed unfazed by the sight of them. She did frown and look up at Derek, waiting for him to explain what he needed.

"I need to ask her something." Derek started, "Something important. I've only heard of one way to do this, though." Derek explained as he looked down at the claws, "A werewolf is to embed them into their own hands, and you know the rest."

"But I'm not werewolf. How can I help?" Eva asked, still somewhat standing behind Stiles, who was uneasy about the direction this conversation was taking.

"Druids have the ability to connect…using things like this. Claws. Objects that hold power." Derek started, "It's called Divination." Derek explained, "The risk of asking a werewolf is great, because both can get harmed. But this is fairly safe."

"Fairly safe?" Stiles started now, narrowing his eyes, "The last time Eva did something similar to what you're suggesting, she passed out and her nose started bleeding, and she was perfectly healthy by then. It's not fairly safe."

Before Eva could speak in defense, a voice had interrupted their conversation, "He's right you know. Rituals like these are rarely ever safe."

Eva looked back, her gaze immediately finding Peter's. Just like that, the power exploding from the tips of her fingers, every god forsaken light bulb in the room exploding and shattering into pieces as she laid eyes on the man who'd helped her aunt to begin with. Possibly the one person Eva could truly blame. And she was. She was blaming him for everything.

"Feisty." Peter smirked as he stepped towards them, before he turned to Derek, "He's lying, though. It's not because it's dangerous to werewolves that he sought you out." Peter commented, "It's because only a werewolf who's related by blood can pull it off. And who is the only surviving member of the Hale family aside from Derek & Cora?"

"You're a dick, you know that?" Stiles commented, clicking his tongue once before he looked back at Derek and frowned, almost in apology. Eva, however, had her glare still fixed on Peter. "You know, glaring at me won't give you your revenge." Peter commented as he stepped towards her, "But I see it in your eyes. You want your revenge, don't you? You've got that spark. The same one your aunt had."

"I'm not like her." Eva muttered, still glaring at him, trying to will herself to do something. She was so focused she could feel the sweat break on her forehead, but she didn't have a clear image in her mind of what she wanted to do. All that power was aimlessly pent up inside her.

"Eva…" Stiles whispered as he reached over to take her hand, and Eva started to feel all the tension leave her body. She eventually breathed out and looked down at her hand interlocked with Stiles', then sighed heavily as she looked up at him and nodded gratefully.

"It's a shame to see such potential go to waste." Peter commented, and Eva had to close her eyes to keep herself calm, her hand squeezing Stiles', before Peter started again, "But let's move onto actually more interesting topics, shall we?" Peter quirked a brow as he turned to Derek, "I'm willing to do your ritual…for a price."

Derek narrowed his as he started to gather the claws back into the wooden case, "Of course." He breathed out an amused chuckle, "What do you want?" He asked as he looked up at Peter again.

"I want to keep them." Peter commented, "But I also want you to ask Talia something as well." Peter finished as he turned to Eva, and she blinked in surprise. "What?"

"I need you to ask Talia something for me." Peter repeated, actually slowing down his words. "You owe me a favor, after all, don't you?" Peter tilted his head as he moved to stand beside Derek, "I'll do this for you, Derek, if you let me keep them. And you are going to ask Talia something for me, Eva." Peter explained slowly, sounding as if everything was going according to some plan he had. "It will save us all the time Eva's going to waste trying to figure out how to use her divination. And everyone gets out a winner."

The whole room was silent, until, "I'll do it." Eva started, "If you give Derek what he wants without pulling any tricks, I'll do you your favor." Eva finally decided, and Stiles turned to her, his eyes wide. She shook her head quickly before he started to argue about Eva's decision. Peter flashed his signature crooked smile, and Eva suddenly felt dread agreeing to his terms, "You two teenagers better leave. It's not going to be pretty." Peter mumbled as he looked down at his right hand, flexing his fingers. Eva's eyes lingered curiously on a finger that seemed to be sown together, but didn't speak, her attention drawn towards something else Peter had said, "Leave?"

"Well you don't expect me to use the claws twice in one day. It _is _dangerous." Peter whispered incredulously, and Eva looked up at Stiles before she nodded once, "Very well then." Peter mumbled as he turned to Derek, "Shall we?"

Derek's gaze met Eva's, and she smiled at him subtly.

"_I need you to pretend like you're going to help me." Derek told her, having explained the whole ordeal with his mother's claws. "Peter will not be easily convinced – and he'll want something in return. I don't want to owe him any favors, so I need him to only ask for something I could do for him without actually strangling him." Derek explained as he drove, his eyes occasionally flickering from the road to Eva._

"_Peter's probably that much of an idiot." Eva commented, "How do you know he'll be there, though?" Eva asked as she turned to Derek, who chuckled once, "Oh, he'll be there. He has nowhere else to go."_

"_So he's still living at the loft with you?" Eva commented, and Derek nodded once. _

"_You really think Peter will be convinced?" Eva asked again as they approached the parking lot, and Derek smiled as he glanced sideways at her, "Peter might be smart, but he's not too smart to be outsmarted. He'll know it's something important that I want to ask my mother and he'll want to be part of it somehow. I guess you could call it his flaw – he wants to think he can control everything."_

_Eva nodded slowly as Derek parked the car, "Just make sure to act clueless in front of Stiles."_

"_I was possessed for fairly a long time to know exactly how to act by now. Don't worry." Eva smiled sadly as she turned sideways to look at Derek, and they both nodded once._


End file.
